PEC crews climb to top 5 at International Lineman’s Rodeo
PEC linemen Zachary McFee (left) and Zack Gough (right) compete at the International Lineman’s Rodeo, where their team placed fourth in the Rural Electric Association category. Courtesy photo
Pedernales Electric Cooperative earned worldwide recognition in October after its lineworkers took fourth and fifth places in their categories at the International Lineman’s Rodeo, held Oct. 15-18 in Overland Park, Kansas.
Competing against more than 600 teams from around the world, the PEC’s journeyworker team consisting of Zachary McFee, Zackery Gough, and Nick Morris placed fourth in the Rural Electric Association category. Apprentice lineworker Trey Reese finished fifth in the REA apprentice division.
“In years past, all three of us (McFee, Gough, and Morris) have competed and placed in the top five as apprentices,” PEC Technical Training Instructor Nick Morris told DailyTrib.com. “So, to have a first-time team of relatively new journeymen place internationally, that was pretty cool. I think it also speaks to the success of our apprentice program at PEC, as well as our culture of safety and tradition of excellence.”
The International Lineman’s Rodeo tests competitors in essential high-voltage linework skills, from pole climbs to simulated rescues, mirroring the real-life conditions lineworkers face in the field.
“It’s an honor to be on the international stage with the best utilities and lineworkers in the industry,” said PEC Director of Regional Operations Brian Magott in a media release about the event. “We’re all incredibly proud of our crews and the efforts they put in at the competition and every day on the job.”
PEC serves more than 400,000 meters across Central Texas—more than any other electric cooperative in the United States—and trains its crews at its safety and technical training center in Marble Falls, where lineworkers practice pole climbing, transformer work, and safety drills.
“We are very grateful to PEC for the opportunity to participate (in the rodeo) and for our leadership’s support,” Morris said. “We want to thank all the lineworkers who came before us and who taught us so much. We also look forward to continuing to care for our members and communities by keeping the lights on.”