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Greenville Hosts Conference and Lineman's Rodeo
Greenville hosted the 46th Annual NCAMES (North Carolina Association of Municipal Electric Systems) Conference and Lineman’s Rodeo at the Convention Center May 14 – 17. The Rodeo was the highlight of the Conference. Teams from municipal electric systems from around the state come to compete in events that test their ability to perform tasks safely and quickly.
“We had more participants that we’ve ever had before,” said Jeff Clark, Overhead Construction/Line Crew Leader. Jeff has served as President of the NCAMES Safety and Training Committee for the past two years. The Committee organizes and judges the Rodeo each year.
This year, the GUC Journeyman team (workers with more than four years experience) was comprised of Mark Howery, Troubleshooter Crew Leader, and Overhead Lineworkers Keith Gaskins and Earl Harris. Overhead Lineworker Billy Owens competed in the Apprentice division.
The events vary from year to year. Both journeyman and apprentice participants compete in the Hurt Man Rescue event where they simulate helping an injured co-worker to the ground from atop a utility pole. A written test and the Rope Toss event rounded out the Apprentice competition. The Journeyman teams had two additional events. In the Egg Climb, competitors tried not to get egg on their face as they climbed a utility pole with a raw egg in their mouths, placed it in a handing bag at the top of the pole, climbed down to the ground, retrieved the basket with an expandable pole and placed the unbroken egg in a container. The Pole Top Pin and Insulator Change Out event required working with a teammate on the ground to remove and replace an insulator.
The GUC team did very well. Keith came in first place in Egg Climb and the Pole Top Pin and Insulator Change Out events. He finished 2nd overall. Mark finished in 4th place overall. Keith and Mark (with the other two top four winners) will represent NCAMES at the national APPA (American Public Power Association) in Indianapolis next spring.
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