DANVILLE — Three linemen from NineStar Connect are competing in a rodeo this week, but there’s not a horse or bull in sight.
The Indiana Electric Cooperative Lineman Rodeo is taking place Aug. 24-25 this week at the Hendricks County Fairgrounds in Danville.
Linemen from throughout the cooperative’s territory have gathered to test their skills in a number of competitions based on the high-stakes work they do each day.
Often situated high atop a 40-foot utility pole, they entertained the crowd with their fast-paced expertise. Wives, girlfriends and children came out to cheer on their favorite linemen from the ground as they performed a number of feats.
Competitions included individual events like the skill climb, hurt man rescue, and the angle pole transfer and tie — with competitors divided between apprentices and the more experienced journeymen. Team events include Hurt Man Rescue, Dead-End and De-energized OCR Changeout.
NineStar sent three competitors this year, along with two men to serve as judges and another to help reset events at the rodeo.
The three competitors are Kory Chapman, Austin Gearlds and Justin Messer.
Jamie Bell and Jeff Conley are serving as judges, while Bryce Robertson is assisting with events.
This is the second year for the fun-filled rodeo, which has doubled in size over last year, with 105 linemen participating representing 25 teams across the state.
Last year, two of NineStar’s teammates scored within the top three in two separate events. Chapman placed third in the Journeyman Hurt Man Rescue while Gearlds placed third in the Journeyman Skill Climb.
The team was hoping for another great performance this year.
While the winners weren’t yet announced as of press time Thursday, NineStar’s marketing director, David Spencer, said the company was proud of the linemen’s performance.
“Everyone did very well considering the heat. They were battling the elements for sure,” said Spencer as the heat index soared into triple digits in Danville.
Tommy Nance, NineStar’s director of electric operations, said the team was staying hydrated and performing well.
“A few of the guys went through most of the events without any deductions, which means they got perfect scores, so it will all come down to (completion) time,” he said.
Regardless of who wins, Spencer said the local lineman give their community reason to be proud every day.
“We really appreciate the job they do on a daily basis, making sure everybody has safe, reliable electricity,” he said.
Being a lineman is widely known to be one of the most dangerous careers there is, due to working with voltage that can range from roughly 15,000 to 750,000 volts.
The Indiana Electric Cooperative is a group of 38 cooperatives throughout the state, including NineStar Connect and Greenfield Power & Light.
Greenfield’s utility manager Scott Yost said his utility was unable to attend this week’s rodeo due to scheduling, but did send a team to the Tennessee Valley Lineman Rodeo in early June.
“We didn’t win anything but it was the first time we had a journeyman team, so they did very well for their first time,” he said.
