JP Richard, Adam Beene and Anthony Albright show off their trophy
Last week, they were just a group of modest and hard-working PG&E linemen from Grass Valley. But now, IBEW 1245 members JP Richard, Anthony Albright and Adam Beene are national celebrities, after beating out 204 other teams from around the world to capture 1st place at the International Lineman’s Rodeo last weekend in Kansas City.
The 1st place crew, along with other Rodeo award winners, stopped by the IBEW 1245 Advisory Council meeting to share their experiences and show off their trophy.
“Our linemen kicked ass and took names in Kansas City this year,” said Business Manager Tom Dalzell as he introduced the competitors to the Advisory Council. “Local 1245 deserves and claims no credit for what these men did. They won simply because they worked really hard and did really well.”
Their accomplishment has already won notice in the local Grass Valley publication and Transmission & Distribution World as news of their victory spreads.
“It was an incredible experience and we had a lot of fun doing it. We put in lot of practice on our own time to be competitive, and it paid off,” said lineman JP Richard, one of the members of the winning crew. “We were shocked to be as successful as we were. Thanks to all the people who supported us. We’re glad that we were able to represent Local 1245.”
Richard, Beene and Albright weren’t the only winners from Local 1245. Steve Bentley, Jim Moon and George McNeil placed 2nd overall in the Senior division, a major feat for the team who has competed together for years but never placed until this year.
JP Richard autographs a photo from the Rodeo, which will be displayed at the IBEW 1245 union hall.
“We always dreamed of making the podium, and this year we did it. We grinned ear to ear for ten days, and I don’t think I’ve quit yet,” Bentley told the Advisory Council. “And we did it with safety in mind. In three years [of competing at the Rodeo] we haven’t had anyone get hurt, gone home or been injured. We get sore going up and down the poles, but it’s all worth it.”
To cement their celebrity status, the winners autographed a photo from the Rodeo that will hang in the IBEW 1245 union hall, and posed for pictures with their trophy.
For more highlights and photos from the Rodeo, click here.