Contact: Priscilla Knight, 703-392-1580, pknight@novec.com
Seven NOVEC linemen will compete at Gaff-n-Go Lineman’s Rodeo April 10
NORTHERN VIRGINIA -- Seven apprentice line technicians from the Northern Virginia Electric Cooperative will compete in the Gaff-n-Go Lineman’s Rodeo on Saturday, April 10, 2010, at the Farm Bureau Center at The Meadow Event Park in Doswell, Va. The park is off I-95, exit 98, one mile from King’s Dominion. The rodeo will test how quickly and safely linemen can restore power after outages.
“We hope NOVEC customers will come to the rodeo and see our apprentice linemen in action,” says Skip Hollcroft, manager, system construction. “Our men have been honing their skills and training for months after hours lifting weights and climbing poles to prepare for the rodeo. It’s always a fun family event and there’s no charge to attend. Vendors will sell food and drinks.”
Hollcroft says NOVEC’s apprentices will be up against 25 tough, seasoned teams and other apprentices from electric cooperatives, investor-owned utilities, and municipal power systems. Competitors are coming from Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Kentucky and other states.
Rodeo teams will compete in five events atop 40-foot-tall utility poles. They will be judged on how fast they perform required skills. Although power lines will not be energized, competitors must show how well they follow safety procedures. The rodeo’s name comes from the gaff, or metal spike, that linemen attach to their boots to help them climb wooden utility poles.
“Our apprentice linemen are among the best trained, most dedicated, and hardest working young men you will ever meet,” Hollcroft says proudly. “They proved how strong and hardy they are when they worked around the clock to restore power during this winter’s snow and wind storms. The Gaff-n-Go Lineman’s Rodeo will give them a chance to pit their skills against linemen from other utilities and we expect to come back winners.”
NOVEC’s apprentice linemen competitors are: Chris Bastien, Anthony Franchini, Justin Bettis, David Palacios, Dan Hampton, Frank Gold, and Jesse Taylor.
Joe Walker coaches the team and Mark Windsor is assistant coach. Shannon Wharton is team coordinator. Eric Stewart, Roy Robinson, Matt Grenke, and Norman Tapp will serve as judges.
The 2010 Gaff-n-Go Lineman’s Rodeo is sponsored by the Virginia, Maryland & Delaware Association of Electric Cooperatives. All proceeds will benefit VMDAEC’s scholarship foundation for college-bound high school graduates.
For more information on the 2010 Gaff-n-Go Linemen’s Rodeo, visit www.gaff-n-go.com or www.facebook.com/gaffngo.
