Twelve teams and 14 individuals won awards at the American Public Power Association’s (APPA) twentieth annual Public Power Lineworkers Rodeo, held March 25-26, in Austin, Texas.
Fifty-five teams and 96 apprentices from not-for-profit, community-owned electric utilities across the nation participated. The rodeo is a series of competitive events demonstrating lineworker skills and safe work practices.
“I don’t think you’ll find anyone prouder of their craft than lineworkers,” said Alex Hofmann, vice president of technical and operations services at APPA. “Seeing them out there demonstrating their skill with a focus on safety is awesome. The rodeo promotes comradery and helps support mutual aid,” he added.
The awards honor lineworkers’ expertise, and the events are judged based upon safety, work practices, neatness, ability, equipment handling, and timely event completion.
All safety rules established by APPA’s Safety Manual were observed during events.
There are two levels of competition within the rodeo -- journeyman and apprentice. The journeyman teams consist of three members -- two climbers and a ground person -- and can include an optional alternate.
Journeymen have years of experience within the electric utility trade, while an apprentice lineworker is newer to the craft.
2022 PUBLIC POWER LINEWORKERS RODEO WINNERS
Apprentice - Overall
1st – Bynjamin Cropley, SMUD, California
2nd – Thomas Steverson, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility, Florida
3rd – Matthew Coakley, OUC, Florida
4th – Drew Wigington, SMUD, California
5th – Dustin Pearce, SMUD, California
Apprentice – 90-Degree Crossarm Relocation
1st – Evan Englert, OUC, Florida
2nd – Carlton Blake Paul, Lafayette Utilities System, Louisiana
3rd – Ethan Shellabarger, Kissimmee Utility Authority, Florida
Apprentice - Hurtman Rescue
1st – Carlton Blake Paul, Lafayette Utilities System, Louisiana
2nd – Matthew Barlow, Roseville Electric, California
3rd – Seth Kelley, Lafayette Utilities System, Louisiana
Apprentice – Double Dead-End Bell Change-Out
1st – Zan Habetz, Lafayette Utilities System, Louisiana
2nd – Karl Glass, Kissimmee Utility Authority, Florida
3rd – Jordan Reddick, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility, Florida
Apprentice – Pole Top Pin Insulator Change-Out
1st – Carlton Blake Paul, Lafayette Utilities System, Louisiana
2nd – Zan Habetz, Lafayette Utilities System, Louisiana
3rd – Jordan Reddick, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility, Florida
Apprentice - Written Test
1st – Bynjamin Cropley, SMUD, California
2nd – Jack Schintz, Shakopee Public Utilities Commission, Minnesota
3rd – Thomas Steverson, City of Tallahassee Electric Utility, Florida
Journeyman - Overall
1st – Nashville Electric Service, Tennessee: Adam Harris, Josh Jones, Derek Pennington, and Mike Shannon
2nd – Turlock Irrigation District, California: Raphael Battig, Josh Klikna, and Dustin Krieger
3rd – Colorado Springs Utilities: Tyler Dimenza, John Rombeck, Mario Sanchez, and Cody Strong
4th – Santee Cooper, South Carolina: Austin Griswold, Dow Hardee, Joe Sawyer, and Chad Williams
5th – City of Tallahassee Electric Utility, Florida: Randall Crum, Josh Helton, Justin Johnson, and Coy Judd
Journeyman - 4kV Crossarm Change-Out
1st – Roseville Electric, California: Kyle Giesser, Phillip Hartnett, Robert Myles, and Tom Pontes
2nd – Santee Cooper, South Carolina: Austin Griswold, Dow Hardee, Joe Sawyer, and Chad Williams
3rd – JEA, Florida: Chance Jones, Caleb Macabitas, Cody Stokes, and Adam Strickland
Journeyman – Obstacle Course
1st – Nashville Electric Service, Tennessee: Tommy Barksdale, Durwood Burks, Daniel Pease, and Cody Roberts
2nd – Santee Cooper, South Carolina: Jamie Anderson, Drew Boatwright, Josh Sawyer, and Charlie Thompkins
3rd – SMUD, California: Tanner Barnes, Justin Estes, and Colt Hodgkin
Journeyman - Hurtman Rescue
1st – JEA, Florida: Chance Jones, Caleb Macabitas, Cody Stokes, and Adam Strickland
2nd – Ponca City Energy, Oklahoma: Tomas Alvarez, Chris Crain, and Cory Waite
3rd – Roseville Electric, California: Kyle Giesser, Phillip Hartnett, Robert Myles, and Tom Pontes
Journeyman – Suspension Insulator Change-Out
1st – Santee Cooper, South Carolina: Jamie Anderson, Drew Boatwright, Josh Sawyer, and Charlie Thompkins
2nd – City of Tallahassee Electric Utility, Florida: Randall Crum, Josh Helton, Justin Johnson, and Coy Judd
3rd – JEA, Florida: Dan Baye, Kelvin Jasper, Gregory Scott Johnson, and Franklee Taylor
Journeyman – Transformer Banking
1st – Santee Cooper, South Carolina: Austin Griswold, Dow Hardee, Joe Sawyer, and Chad Williams
2nd – Nashville Electric Service, Tennessee: Tommy Barksdale, Durwood Burks, Daniel Pease, and Cody Roberts
3rd – City of Tallahassee Electric Utility, Florida: Randall Crum, Josh Helton, Justin Johnson, and Coy Judd
