Now in
its 17th year, the Pacific Northwest Lineman Rodeo draws journeymen
and apprentices from around the region. Participants compete in
events that test their speed and skills.
These men and women
spend their days working on energized power lines and keeping the
lights on. On the day of the rodeo, they trade in live lines for a
stopwatch. The stakes may be different, but they're no less
important.
Journeyman teams compete in events like the pole climb
and transformer replacement. Still in training to become journeymen,
apprentices go head to head in events that simulate everyday (and
not-so-everyday) work, like the hurt-man rescue. Many who compete go
onto the
International Lineman's Rodeo in Kansas City, Mo.