Pictured are BPU Linemen (From left) Ben White, Darin Parker, Josef Neumair and Mike McSwain with their awards from the Tennessee Valley Lineman Rodeo.
Paris, TN – All though their time at the 22nd Annual Tennessee Valley Lineman Rodeo was cut short, BPU Lineman still managed to earn eight awards at this year’s event held in Lenoir City on June 21 and 22. The annual event draws teams from utilities across the Tennessee Valley to compete in a variety of events over the course of the two days. This year, BPU crews only competed in events Friday afternoon and then came home Friday night to help restore power to Henry County after storms caused widespread outages.
Apprentice Linemen Tyler Frey and Josef Neumair along with Journeyman Linemen Ben White, Darin Parker, Randall French, Gatlin Primrose and Mike McSwain represented BPU at this year’s competition. Events are split into 4 categories: apprentice, journeyman, senior (age 45 and above) and team. The events BPU linemen competed in are areas they have experience performing in day-to-day duties.
Monday, July 1, Kari Crouse with the Tennessee Valley Public Power Association and Raymond Barnes, Chairman of the Tennessee Valley Lineman Rodeo, came to Paris to present the BPU lineman with their awards since they were unable to attend the awards presentation on the 22nd. Barnes and Crouse both commended BPU on not only their performance at the event, but also their dedication and service to their community.
Darin Parker brought home four awards in the senior category including: 1st place in Hurtman Rescue, 3rd place in Fuse Replacement, 3rd place in B-1 Tie-In and 2nd place in the Overall Senior Competition. Additionally, Ben White earned 3rd place in the Journeyman Alley Arm Insulator Change-Out and 2nd place in the Journeyman Fuse Replacement events. In the Journeyman Egg Climb event, Mike McSwain placed 3rd and in the Apprentice Written Test, Tyler Frey placed 3rd.
“I am incredibly proud of our guys” said Cole Edwards, BPU Director of Engineering and Operations. “They train for this, they love competing and it is nice seeing our guys earn much deserved state and even national recognition for their skills.”
The Tennessee Valley Lineman’s Rodeo brings together linemen from seven states for a competition designed to test linemen on their safety skills and technical training through a variety of contests. These contests include a simulation that tests their ability to safely rescue an injured colleague, and their ability to safely and rapidly climb to the top of a utility pole, as well as several other events that test critical skills related to their jobs. Linemen undergo years of extensive safety and technical training to become qualified to perform these critical jobs. BPU linemen perform their work in a wide variety of challenging conditions, such as rain storms, intense heat, strong winds and even snow.
About BPU – Established as an independent board of the City of Paris in 1938, BPU is a municipally-owned utility that provides electric, water and wastewater services to residents of Paris and Henry County as a means of promoting economic development and enhancing quality of life in the community. Serving over 22,000 homes and businesses, BPU strives to provide reliable, safe and affordable services to our community.