Six linemen from the Kansas City, Kansas, Board of Public Utilities will compete against hundreds of other utility workers at the annual International Lineman’s Rodeo through Oct. 15 at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame, Bonner Springs.
An annual trade show and expo will be held in Overland Park, Kansas, in conjunction with the event.
The lineman’s rodeo features linemen competing in events based on traditional lineman tasks.
BPU will be represented by one team and three apprentice linemen. Matt Campion, Jake Janes, Trenton Overton, Josh Cook, Garrett Gilbert and Dawson Crouss will be competing against more than 900 linemen representing more than 200 teams from private and municipal utilities. Last year’s BPU team placed fourth in the municipality division.
The rodeo competition will begin at 7 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 15 at the Ag Hall, near 126th and State. An awards banquet will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Overland Park Convention Center.
The International Lineman’s Rodeo was first held in 1984 and was created to maintain a focus on safety and safe work practices, and to recognize the technical craft skills of utility linemen.
For more information, see www.linemansrodeokc.com.