Photos by John Storey
IBEW 1245 competitors, judges, and staff at the Rodeo Awards Banquet on Oct. 19.
Taking first place in the Journeyman Hurtman Rescue event was the SMUD team of, from left, Todd Prangley , Cayleb Bowman and Matthew Wilson. They also placed third in the Journeyman Pole Climb event.
IBEW 1245 journeymen and apprentices scored perfect 100s in many events at the International Lineman’s Rodeo on Oct. 19 in Bonner Springs, KS.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Pacific Gas & Electric and Liberty Utilities all sponsored teams of IBEW 1245 members. The union itself sponsored two journeyman teams from Turlock Irrigation District and one journeyman team from NV Energy. SMUD, PG&E and IBEW 1245 also sponsored apprentices in the competition.
Safe work practices are a major factor in all rodeo events. Judges deduct points for any deviation from these practices. Any such “ding” effectively ends your hunt for a trophy no matter how fast you perform the event. The teams scoring the maximum 100 points in an event are then ranked according to the fastest speed to establish the winner.
MUD Apprentice Christopher Worth took 4th place best overall apprentice in the Municipal Division, and 19th best overall apprentice.
Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) Apprentice Christopher Worth scored perfect 100s in the Hurtman Rescue, Pole Climb, and Apprentice Mystery Event #1, finishing 24th overall out of 219 competing apprentices, and 4th overall among all apprentices in the Municipal competition.
Joining Worth in scoring perfect 100s in the Apprentice Mystery Event #1, which turned out to be “Replace Insulator,” were SMUD Apprentices Richard Hall, who finished second out of 219 competitors, and Joseph Cowley, who finished third, along with Garrett McGhehey and Connor Hutchison. Perfect 100s were also scored by PG&E Apprentices Zachary Huseby, Ryan Boyd and Brandon Dance, and by IBEW 1245 Outside Construction Apprentice Jason Smith.
PG&E’s Ryan Boyd took 5th place in Apprentice Hurtman Rescue.
Scoring perfect 100s in the Apprentice Hurtman Rescue for PG&E were Sean Hunt, Dance, and Boyd, who finished an outstanding 5th in a field of 219. Scoring perfect 100s in this event for SMUD were Bryan Herda and Justin Perron, along with Cowley, Hall, and Worth. Scoring 100 for NV Energy was Blake McCoy.
SMUD apprentices were absolutely dominant in the Apprentice Pole Climb, scoring perfect 100s en route to capturing 4th (Herda), 6th (Cowley), 8th (Hutchison), 10th (Hall), 15th (Perron), and 29th (Worth) out of a field of 219. Also scoring perfect 100s in this event were PG&E’s Hunt and Dance, and NV Energy’s McCoy.
Journeyman Competition
In journeyman competition, the SMUD team of Nicholas Valdez, Garrett Gross and Donavan Bok scored a perfect 400 for the four events, finishing 19th overall in a field of 210.
PG&E’s Ryan Boyd is congratulated by teammates for taking 5th place in Apprentice Hurtman Rescue.
In the Journeyman Hurtman Rescue, the SMUD team of Cayleb Bowman, Matthew Wilson and Todd Prangley scored 100, finishing first in the field. Also scoring 100s in this event was the PG&E team of Anthony Albright, Adam Beene and Jon Paul Richard; the SMUD team of Steve Hintze, Donald Larsen, and Bradley Powell; the Turlock Irrigation District team of Dustin Krieger, Josh Klikna and Steve Johnson; the NV Energy team of Russell Morrison, Alex Price and Stevie Bennett; the PG&E team of Eli Tharp, Jud VanMatre and Josh Turner; the SMUD team of Valdez, Gross and Bok; the SMUD team of Alman Kerste, Alfonzo Davila and Michael Moore; and the Liberty Utilities team of John McCue, Toak Scarlett and Kyle Hermansen.
In the Journeyman Pole Climb, the SMUD team of Bowman, Wilson and Prangley finished 3rd overall, while the team of Christopher Fukui, Keno Grigsby and Jeremy Wright finished 5th overall. The PG&E team of Tharp, VanMatre and Turner finished 11th. Also scoring perfect 100s in this event were SMUD’s Valdez, Gross and Bok, the Turlock Irrigation District team of Aaron Baker, James Small and Bill Stavrianousakis; the SMUD team of Hintze, Larsen and Powell; and the PG&E team of Jerry Bryant, Michael Moss and Randy Patt.
Bryan Herda of SMUD took 4th place in the Apprentice Pole Climb.
In the Journeyman Mystery Event #1, which turned out to be “Cut Hot Jumper,” the SMUD team of Chris Miles, Rorry Malia and Gergory Baird took top honors, finishing first out of 210 teams. The PG&E team of Albright, Beene and Richard placed 5th in the field. Also scoring perfect 100s in this event were the SMUD team of Bowman, Wilson and Prangley; the SMUD team of Fukui, Grigsby and Wright; the TID team of Krieger, Klikna and Johnson; the PG&E team of Steve Bentley, George McNeill and Jim Moon; the SMUD team of Valdez, Gross and Bok; and the SMUD team of Kerste, Davila and Moore.
In the Journeyman Mystery Event #2, the SMUD team of Fukui, Grigsby and Wright finished 3rd, while SMUD’s Miles, Malia and Baird, took 9th. Also scoring perfect 100s in this event were the Liberty Utilities team of McCue, Scarlett and Hermansen, SMUD’s Valdez, Gross and Bok; TID’s Baker, Small and Stavrianousakis; NV Energy’s Morrison, Price and Bennett; PG&E’s Albright, Beene and Richard; PG&E’s Bryant, Moss and Patt; and PG&E’s Tharp, VanMatre and Turner.
Congratulations to all of these IBEW 1245 members for demonstrating the competitive spirit of IBEW 1245 linemen, and the commitment to safe work practices that are the hallmark of the union tradesman.
IBEW 1245 participants in the 2013 Rodeo
Taking 1st place in the Journeyman Mystery Event #1 were, from left, Chris Miles, Rorry Malia and Gregory Baird of SMUD.
SMUD Team 430
Cayleb Bowman
Matthew Wilson
Todd Prangley
SMUD Team 431
Steve Hintze
Donald Larsen
Bradley Powell
SMUD Team 432
Christopher Fukui
Taking 5th place in the Muni Division was the SMUD journeyman team of, from left, Donavan Bok, Garrett Gross and Nicholas Valdez.
Keno Grigsby
Jeremy Wright
Taking 2nd place in the Apprentice Mystery Event #1 was SMUD’s Richard Hall, right. Joseph Cowley, at left, took 3rd place.
SMUD Team 433
Chris Miles
Rorry Malia
Gregory Baird
SMUD Team 434
Nicholas Valdez
Garrett Gross
Donavan Bok
SMUD Team 435
Alman Kerste
Alfonzo Davila
Michael Moore
PG&E Team 64
Anthony Albright
Adam Beene
Jon Paul Richard
PG&E Team 65
Eli Tharp
Jud VanMatre
Josh Turner
Taking 3rd place in Journeyman Mystery Event #2 were Jeremy Wright, Christopher Fukui and Keno Grigsby. They also received an award for 5th place in the Journeyman Pole Climb.
PG&E Team 621
Steve Bentley
George McNeill
Jim Moon
PG&E Team 622
Jerry Bryant
Michael Moss
Randy Patt
IBEW 1245 (Turlock Irrigation District) Team 417
Dustin Krieger
Josh Klikna
Steve Johnson
Accepting the 5th place award for Mystery Event #1 are, from left, Anthony Albright, Jon Paul Richard and Adam Beene—PG&E.
IBEW 1245 (Turlock Irrigation District) Team 418
Aaron Baker
James Small
Bill Stavrianousakis
IBEW 1245 (NV Energy) Team 414
Russell Morrison
Alex Price
Stevie Bennett
Liberty Energy Team 76
Jonathan McCue
Toak Scarlett
Kyle Hermansen
APPRENTICES
Joseph Cowley, App. 1428, SMUD
Richard Hall, App. 1429, SMUD
Bryan Herda, App. 1430, SMUD
Connor Hutchison, App. 1431, SMUD
Garrett McGhehey, App. 1432, SMUD
Justin Perron, App. 1433, SMUD
Christopher Worth, App. 1435, SMUD
Brandon Dance, App. 1068, PG&E
Ryan Boyd, App. 1069, PG&E
Sean Hunt, App. 1070, PG&E
Zachary Huseby, App. 1071, PG&E
Jared Wilson, App. 1413, IBEW 1245
Jason Smith, App. 1414, IBEW 1245
Blake McCoy, App. 1415, IBEW 1245
Stephen Potter, App. 1416, IBEW 124