The 2009 International Lineman Rodeo

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In August Jay earned a spot on the Phoenix, AZ Local 266 Lineman Rodeo Team! This is a great accomplishment and opportunity! He was so excited to be a part of the team and we were all so proud of him! The competition took place in Bonner Springs Kansas, between Kansas City, MO and Topeka, KS. At the rodeo the Apprentices complete in several timed events. These are events demonstrate their skill and speed within the lineman trade. There was a total of 215 apprentices competing! Overall Jay ranked #43, and he ranked #8 out of 52 within the classification of "Apprentice Contractor"! The whole team did a great job and the Local 266 should be very proud of how they were represented!
The events of the rodeo are:
1) CPR. The purpose of this event is for the apprentice lineman to demonstrate proper care of a co-worker who suffers sudden cardiac arrest. This is a two-part event consisting of a demonstration of the physical skills needed for performance of CPR/Automated External Defibrillation followed by a written test on these same skills. Jay ranked #104.
2) 40 Foot Pole Climb. During this event the apprentice starts on the ground with an egg in a small bag that is carried by the strap in the apprentices mouth. They have to climb the pole as fast as they can. Drop the small bag that is already hanging at the top to the ground, within a certain distance from the pole, take the egg from their bag and put it in their mouth, hang their bag at the top of the pole and climb down as fast as possible. They are deducted major points if they crack the egg. Jay ranked #44 and did it in 33.5 seconds!
3) The Hurt Man Rescue. The apprentice has to start on the ground without any gear on. Once the timer starts they have to get their climbing gear on as fast as possible, get up the pole, and lower the "hurt man" (they use a hanging mannequin) to the ground safely. It was amazing to see how fast some of the guys were on this event. I would want them on Jay's crew if he ever got hurt on the pole! Jay ranked #56 with a time of 1 minute 46 seconds. The fastest time on this event was 52.8 seconds!
4) The mystery event was a secret until the night before the competition. The action was to change out a bad insulator. Jay ranked #71 with a time of 5 minutes and 59 seconds.
5) There was also a written test. It was 100 questions about the trade. Jay ranked #48 and completed it in 12 minutes 41 seconds.
I had a great time watching the team compete and was super excited that my sister Jennifer and her husband Matt were able to come and watch him compete too! Thanks for your support guys!

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