Nine Cuivre River Electric Cooperative (CREC) linemen participated in the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) Fourth Annual Lineman’s Rodeo October 20-21 at the association’s headquarters in Jefferson City. 

Fifty-three linemen from 13 co-ops put their skills to the test last week. In the journeyman team division, CREC’s Jacob Tiefenthaler, Mike Hartley, and Jon Pauk took sec¬ond place. Governor Mike Parson stopped by on Thursday to present the Governor’s Cup to first place winners from Barry Electric Cooperative and to recognize and congratulate all participants and winners. Other CREC participants were Rod Nesslage, Craig Eikermann, Chris Molitor, Bryce Menne, Mark Hasekamp, and Ronnie Akers.

The rodeo holds both team and individual competitions in the apprentice and journeyman divisions. Some of the challenges include the Hurt-Man Rescue and Modified Pole Climb. Linemen were also faced with a 100-question knowledge test and mystery events they had little time to prepare for, such as changing out transformer arrestors. Competitors are judged on how safely they complete each challenge. Individual times are only used in the case of a tiebreaker.

The event helps to raise funds for future projects that send Missouri linemen to developing nations to build power lines for people living without the benefits of electricity. CREC linemen have participated in several of these international trips in the past to Haiti and Sudan.