Months of practice on nights and weekends, a whole week of waiting, and then a few minutes on the pole where tenths of a second decide everything. That's the International Lineman's Rodeo, and Duke Energy's journeyman climbing team knows it well.
On this episode, host Tom Williamson sits down with Miles Bell, Justin McCarson, and Heath Burrell in Kansas the week of the International Lineman's Rodeo. The three Duke Energy linemen talk about their roles off the pole in tools and work methods, reliability, and work planning, how Duke picks the teams it sends to the rodeo, and how they got into the trade. They also get into the hundreds of hours they put in to prepare, how to get ready for mystery events, why the hurt man rescue is the most important event out there, the 2023 belt buckle, missing the podium by eight tenths of a second, and why competing in the rodeo makes you a better lineman.
Update: At the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo, Miles, Justin, and Heath took first place in Journeyman Mystery Event #1 and second place overall in the journeyman division.
Presented by Tallman Equipment Company.
(0:00) - Sponsor: Tallman Equipment (0:46) - Show Intro (1:07) - At the International Lineman's Rodeo with Duke Energy (2:01) - Meet Miles Bell: Tools & Work Methods (4:22) - Meet Justin McCarson: Reliability (5:33) - Meet Heath Burrell: Resource Specialist (6:28) - How Duke Picks Its Rodeo Teams (7:58) - Hurry Up and Wait (8:38) - How They Got Into the Trade (11:48) - Why Compete in the Rodeo? (13:54) - Practicing on Nights & Weekends (15:00) - Known Events vs. Mystery Events (16:56) - Favorite Events & Why Hurt Man Matters (18:46) - Winning Hurt Man in 2023 (20:07) - Competition Morning Nerves (21:13) - Speed vs. Accuracy: Every Tenth Counts (22:18) - Waiting for Results & Sizing Up Rivals (24:57) - Coming Home: Banter from the Crew (26:51) - Does the Rodeo Make Better Linemen? (29:22) - Staying Loose Before the Climb (30:49) - Advice for Apprentices: Just Do It (32:13) - Game Faces & Trash Talk (34:14) - Thanks to Duke, Families & Customers (36:40) - Closing & Sign-Off
For more episodes, show notes, and to connect with the show, visit https://powergridtalks.com/.
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00:00:00
This episode of Power Grid Talks is presented by Tallman Equipment Company
00:00:12
Trust.
00:00:14
It's hard to earn and easy to lose.
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That's why at Tallman Equipment Company, we work hard every day to do
00:00:23
the right thing for our customers and everyone that puts their trust in us.
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Because at the end of the day, what really matters is who we help get
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the job done right and get back home.
00:00:38
Trust.
00:00:39
Tallman Equipment.
00:00:46
You're listening to Power Grid Talks, From the Bucket Trucks to the Boardrooms.
00:00:50
I'm your host, Tom Williamson, a journeyman lineman with
00:00:54
over 15 years in the trade.
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Here we bring you real stories and real conversations from the
00:01:00
field to the executive suites of the electric utility world.
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It's about the people who keep the power flowing and the grid strong.
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Let's get to work
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All right, so we're out here today at the International Lineman's Rodeo, and
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we've got the climbing tune- climbing team from Duke Energy out here with us.
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How we doing today, guys?
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Doing good.
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Good.
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Yeah.
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Hope you are, Tom.
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I appreciate you guys being here.
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So episode today's gonna be sponsored by Tomlin, so we got some
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stuff to send home with you guys.
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Awesome.
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I know you don't get enough free stuff when you're at the rodeo, but we're gonna
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throw a little bit more at you, right?
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Yeah, sounds good.
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Hey, we're lineman, we'll take all the free T-shirts.
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Yeah.
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Dude, did you guys go upstairs today?
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Man, that place is crazy, right?
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Packed out.
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It's a lot.
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Man, unreal.
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A lot of people.
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We were waiting to get in, and they opened the doors, and the
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same thing happened last year.
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It's like a mad rush- Oh, yeah … of… I'm like, "Calm down, people. Everybody'll
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get in there." Like, it's crazy.
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It's like a- Yeah … mad dollar- You gotta get the Carhartt shirt first 100%.
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That's everybody.
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100%.
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Yeah.
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They all have their booth that they wanna go to, and they got, like, a list going.
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That's what I was telling my wife when we walked in, I said, "All
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these people have a strategy. Don't get in their way." Oh, yeah.
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Yeah.
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You'll get run over.
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It's a good time though, man.
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Yeah.
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There was a lot of good people up there.
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So let's go ahead and just, just start around the table, introduce
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yourselves, and, and we'll go from there.
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So Miles- Okay … why don't you go ahead and start?
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All right.
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My name is Miles Bell.
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Um, I am a… Well, I work for Duke Energy.
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I was a journeyman lineman.
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I recently moved into our tools and work methods group.
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So we do, like, all of our tool approvals on any testing equipment or hand tool, uh,
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basically any tool a lineman would use.
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And then we also maintain our work method manual.
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Okay.
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So safety rules, work processes, procedures, that kind of thing.
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Nice.
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So.
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Nice.
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Yeah.
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So basically everything that's in your storeroom and stuff like that, that your
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lineman can get their hands on to use, you guys have to approve to have there.
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That's part of your role, right?
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Yeah.
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Okay.
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Yeah, so basically anything from a simple screwdriver to
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a thumper- Yep … high pot.
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Yep.
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Whatever.
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A- anything from, you know, big to little, we run it through a
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approval or an evaluation process.
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Okay.
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Several weeks long, we get so many into lineman's hands
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in different jurisdictions.
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Yep.
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'Cause Duke's big, we're spread out.
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You know, we've got Midwest, Carolinas, and Florida, so we try to get some
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of the product in each region 'cause everybody has a different opinion.
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Obviously you give it- Oh, yeah … 10 linemen, you get 10 different- At
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least 10, maybe more … 10 complaint.
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Yeah, yeah.
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Some of them maybe give you three or four.
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So that, that's kinda how our approval process looks.
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Okay.
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Um, it make sure, you know, it meets all OSHA safety stan… A- any type of
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safety rating, we gotta check on that.
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And then really the, the big part of the job is, is maintaining
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our work method manual.
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Yep.
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So obviously, you know, we, we never like to have incidents, but
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they do happen from time to time.
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When they happen, we gotta go and evaluate work methods to make
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sure, hey, there wasn't a gap here.
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W- do we need to shift something?
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Yep.
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Whatever.
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Yep.
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You know, are we behind the times on something?
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So that, and then quarterly, you know, no matter what's going on, we evaluate
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so many work methods and just go through them with a fine-tooth comb and make
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sure, hey, has anything changed in OSHA?
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Has, has our health and safety manual changed?
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Do we need to align something?
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So that, that's really the main part of the job is doing the work method part.
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Okay.
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And then tools is, like, our side gig.
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So how was the transition from being in the field as a lineman to that?
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I mean, it wasn't bad.
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So I'd, I had kind of…
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I had helped that group out a little bit, so the guy that was previously in
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that role, he had been gone for quite some time before they were able to
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fill the role, and I'd kind of stepped in and helped them out for a while.
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Gotcha.
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So I was, I was kind of doing both jobs for a- So you had a break-in period there.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Nice.
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Not bad.
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A little transition.
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Yeah, it was good.
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Okay.
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It was good.
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All right.
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All right.
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Next.
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Justin McCarsin.
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I'm, uh, from North Carolina Duke Energy.
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Was a lineman, and I just recently moved into reliability.
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Okay.
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So investigating outages, and I get to stay dry now, so that's a plus.
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So I'm glad about that.
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Uh, but I've always been a big guy in troubleshooting, and that's kinda… You
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know, I'm still involved with the linemen.
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I still go out and, uh, help them with outages, all that stuff.
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So it, it's been pretty good.
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Nice.
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Yeah.
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All right.
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And you made that role recently?
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Yeah, I just got it last year or end of last year.
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Okay.
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Yeah.
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Awesome.
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So what goes on behind the scenes with reliability that a
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lot of linemen don't understand?
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Uh, a lot of stuff.
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Right.
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Um, I mean, just between, like, flickering lights that a lot of linemen don't see,
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uh, troubleshooting, um, HAM radios that still people use, you know, messed up
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tie wires, stuff like that that people don't realize that can mess it up.
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Um, even just investigating the big outages and knowing what it
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takes to investigate that, um, just, you know, it help further the
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reliability so it don't keep going out.
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Right.
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You know, between for us, it's trees.
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It's nonstop trees, so trying to keep the right of way cleared
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out- Yep … stuff like that.
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Why does this outage take two hours?
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How can we make it less- Yeah … all that stuff.
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Yeah.
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That's wild.
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Cool.
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All right.
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Cool.
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All right.
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Let's do it.
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Yeah.
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I'm Heath Burrel, uh, Duke Energy, North Carolina, and I was a journeyman lineman,
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and I'm a resource specialist now.
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And what that is, is, uh, all work goes through me, so anything
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that gets scheduled, our Duke crews, it gets assigned to
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our, uh, our maintenance crews.
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And then I'll print it out, kinda, I guess expedite the job, go through,
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make sure it's workable, what needs to be fixed, get with engineering,
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like, "Hey, can we do this instead?" Just try to make it efficient for
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the guys before they go out there.
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Okay, nice.
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Good deal.
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And how long have you had that role?
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About a year and a half Okay, so you're kinda settled in now.
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Yeah.
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You got it figured out.
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Yeah.
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Yeah.
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Was the transition hard for you there?
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What, so before that I was a contractor oversight, so I've been
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out of the line crew for probably two to three years, give or take.
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So you were used to all the emails and the teams and all that stuff already?
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That- that's the hardest part to get used to.
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You know, phone staying on a charger- I hear you … because
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you've got a lot of calls coming in.
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All the time, man.
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Yeah.
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All the time.
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All right.
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So I- I know you guys are all here for the Duke climbing team.
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Tell me how Duke picks who comes.
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Do you guys have, like, a competition inside?
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Is it the same teams every year?
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How do they do that?
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So we have, and you guys speak up, um, whenever you want to, so we- Duke
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actually has three lineman rodeos.
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Okay.
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'Cause like I said, we're spread out.
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Yeah.
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We've got basically three different regions.
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So we have a lineman rodeo in Florida, and the top three teams from that rodeo
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earn a spot to compete here, and then the same for the other two rodeos.
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So we have a rodeo in the Carolinas, same thing, gotta earn your spot.
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Midwest, same.
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And the same for the apprentices.
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Gotcha.
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So it's top three apprentices, top three journeyman teams, and then
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the top senior team also from each jurisdiction earn- earn a spot.
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And that process works pretty good because it, it keeps the best skills out there,
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it keeps everybody kinda sharp, everybody knows it's not just handed out, right?
00:07:23
Oh, yeah.
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Yeah.
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Level field.
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Yeah.
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Okay.
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I like that.
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Yeah.
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I like that.
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So how many years have you guys been doing the rodeo stuff then, right?
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You said it, this was not your first year.
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No.
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Um, I- I've been rodeoing for 12 years.
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Okay.
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Um, I think this is my fifth time in- fourth or fifth in Kansas.
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Um, this'll be mine and Heath's third time here together.
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Okay.
00:07:43
All right.
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Um- Yeah, me and Miles, three, and me and Justin was here in '19.
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Okay.
00:07:46
Yes, this- So … will be my third international.
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Nice.
00:07:49
A little less than them, but I've been doing it for about 12 years.
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Okay.
00:07:52
Yeah.
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Right.
00:07:53
So you guys got it all figured out, right?
00:07:55
Well, I don't know if I'd say that.
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We- we'll see Saturday- Yeah
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by lunchtime.
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Yeah.
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So is that part hard?
00:08:01
So you guys get here Tuesday, Wednesday.
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Yeah.
00:08:04
You don't go climb till Saturday, right?
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Yeah.
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Is that kinda wait and that anticipation and going out there and
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pacing the yard, is that part hard?
00:08:10
It's very hard.
00:08:11
Yeah.
00:08:11
'Cause I told them when we got in yesterday, I'm ready to do it today.
00:08:14
Oh, yeah.
00:08:14
Yeah.
00:08:14
You know, you get here, you see it, you see the competition,
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you're ready to do it.
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So you're just sitting here and you're getting antsy and, you know, you're
00:08:21
like, "Is this team figuring something out that we're not figuring out?"
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So it's just one of those, like, you wanna get in there, get the work done.
00:08:28
I, that's- that's the way I am.
00:08:29
Yeah.
00:08:29
But, you know.
00:08:29
Well, you've been training and preparing.
00:08:31
When you get off that- Yeah … plane or you get in that parking lot, you're
00:08:32
like, "Okay, I- I've been preparing for this. I'm ready. Let's do it." Yeah.
00:08:35
And they're like, "Oh, no. Hurry up and wait for a little bit."
00:08:36
Co- common utility stuff, right?
00:08:38
Yeah.
00:08:38
Hurry up and wait.
00:08:38
Hurry up and wait.
00:08:39
Yeah.
00:08:39
It's like a big hurricane.
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We're in the parking lot waiting on some water.
00:08:42
Heck yeah, man.
00:08:43
Heck yeah.
00:08:43
W- So how did you guys all get started in the trade?
00:08:48
My dad was a lineman.
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He worked for Duke.
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Okay.
00:08:51
He, he's, he's retired.
00:08:51
He's been retired about seven years.
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But I grew up as watching him, you know, he was going out working storm trouble
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all the time, so it just followed suit.
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And when I graduated high school, I went straight to the contractors
00:09:04
back in '05, and I worked there till 2016 when I came here.
00:09:08
Okay.
00:09:08
So- So you knew about it from early on, huh?
00:09:11
Yeah.
00:09:11
Yeah.
00:09:12
Did you see him, uh, going through all the troubles and hassles?
00:09:15
Did he pull you, ever pull you aside and be like, "Hey, don't do this"?
00:09:18
No, he always encouraged it.
00:09:19
Yeah But, uh- 'Cause it is a good job, right?
00:09:20
It, it's a very good job.
00:09:21
Yeah.
00:09:21
And, and it, it provides for my family, so- 100% … it's, it's
00:09:25
a, it's a great place to be.
00:09:26
And it's got a challenging- Yeah … side to it, right?
00:09:28
Yeah.
00:09:28
The challenging side I think is what drives me more than anything.
00:09:31
I, I didn't wanna stand in a factory and punch the same button 500 times.
00:09:35
Mm-hmm.
00:09:35
Like, that's, that's not a job to me, right?
00:09:37
Nope.
00:09:37
Mm-hmm.
00:09:37
Okay.
00:09:38
Cool.
00:09:38
So did you guys have family members in it too?
00:09:40
No.
00:09:41
I came in, I didn't even know what I was doing.
00:09:43
Blind.
00:09:43
Yeah, I came in blind.
00:09:44
Yeah.
00:09:44
I, I didn't even, uh, have the opportunity to go to contractor.
00:09:47
I came in straight to Duke, and I'm like, "I don't know what I'm
00:09:49
getting into, but I love it."
00:09:50
Yeah.
00:09:50
It's outside.
00:09:51
Heck yeah.
00:09:51
I mean, you're hands-on with everything.
00:09:53
So I've, I've loved it ever since I started.
00:09:55
As an apprentice or a groundman?
00:09:56
Uh, pretty much.
00:09:57
So back then we started as, like, what's called a helper.
00:10:00
Yep.
00:10:00
So a groundman.
00:10:01
Okay.
00:10:01
And then just worked our way up.
00:10:02
Right.
00:10:03
Yeah.
00:10:03
Yeah, kind of prove that you were gonna be worth- Yeah
00:10:06
the time.
00:10:06
Okay.
00:10:07
Nice.
00:10:07
I like that.
00:10:08
All right, Miles.
00:10:08
I, same story- Same thing?
00:10:10
… as Justin, yeah.
00:10:10
Um, grew up working family business.
00:10:13
Dad has a roofing business and farms, so was always working outside with my hands.
00:10:19
Knew I didn't want to be in a factory or in a office, which I'm
00:10:22
in a office now, but- … um, k- knew, knew I didn't want to do that.
00:10:26
Um, and I just kind of stumbled up- Yep … stumbled into it.
00:10:29
Yep.
00:10:29
Had, had a couple friends from high school that were linemen- And I didn't
00:10:34
even know what they did, you know?
00:10:35
And I applied, got lucky, got hired at Duke, and same as, I
00:10:38
had no idea what I was doing.
00:10:40
Um- I've told people forever, I, I kinda have the same story, right?
00:10:43
I grew up on a farm, wasn't scared to work for a living, but
00:10:47
didn't know what lineman did.
00:10:48
There was a posting for a groundmen, I needed a job.
00:10:51
Yeah.
00:10:51
I took it not knowing what I was getting into.
00:10:53
But I feel like that farm mentality and the lineman mentality
00:10:57
kinda coincide pretty good.
00:10:58
Oh, yeah.
00:10:59
Right?
00:10:59
Yeah.
00:10:59
They, they line up, they know you're not scared to work, you're not scared
00:11:02
to get dirty, and- Yeah … there's a lot of that, especially early
00:11:05
on in your career- Oh, yeah … as a groundman and early apprentice,
00:11:07
that's all you do is get dirty.
00:11:08
Yeah.
00:11:09
Yeah, and farming and line work, sometimes you just gotta do stuff
00:11:12
without a lot of stuff to do it with.
00:11:14
That's exactly right.
00:11:15
You have to do it, you're like, you're just in a spot, and
00:11:17
you just gotta figure it out.
00:11:18
Yeah.
00:11:18
So they, they coincide very well.
00:11:19
Yeah.
00:11:19
You've gotta critical think.
00:11:20
Yeah.
00:11:20
You've gotta make the most with the least.
00:11:22
Yeah.
00:11:22
Right?
00:11:23
Especially on storm.
00:11:24
Yeah.
00:11:24
I mean, I've been out there on storm where the utilities
00:11:26
don't have enough material- Yeah
00:11:28
to rebuild the stuff.
00:11:29
Yeah, yeah.
00:11:29
You've gotta reuse or find or do whatever you've gotta do to get it back on.
00:11:32
Yeah.
00:11:33
So- Yeah … yeah, that mentality comes, comes from deep in your roots.
00:11:37
Yeah, absolutely.
00:11:38
All right.
00:11:38
So l- let's talk about what made you wanna take your skills from just everyday
00:11:43
line work to the competition side of things, 'cause you guys have all been
00:11:46
doing this 12 years or so, right?
00:11:48
What made you wanna get into the rodeo side versus just
00:11:51
going out and get the lights on?
00:11:53
Well, so I'll be honest, me and Justin, we grew up playing ball against each other.
00:11:56
Okay.
00:11:57
And we're both very competitive.
00:11:59
And he got hired just a few months before me, and I ran into his dad at a
00:12:03
softball game, and he was like, "Yeah, Justin's gonna do this Lineman Rodeo."
00:12:06
I was like, "Man, that sounds fun." Yeah.
00:12:08
And then a few months later, I ended up getting hired here, so I,
00:12:11
I knew about it before I got hired.
00:12:13
Day one at helper school, I'm like, "Hey, what's this Lineman Rodeo?"
00:12:16
'Cause it was like just a sport for me.
00:12:18
Yeah.
00:12:18
You know, I just wanted to continue athletics.
00:12:20
Keep that competition going.
00:12:21
Yeah, just, and most linemen are competitive in nature.
00:12:24
100%. Like, kinda type A. Yep.
00:12:26
Wanna be the best, win.
00:12:27
Yep.
00:12:28
And it- Let me show you I can do it.
00:12:29
Yeah.
00:12:29
And it's just a, you know, and as an apprentice or a helper, like, it was
00:12:34
a way to compete but also get better.
00:12:38
Yep.
00:12:38
You know, you know, studying that Lineman and Cableman Handbook, running
00:12:42
apprentice events, like, it helped me just become a better lineman.
00:12:45
It helped me top out- Right … 'cause it makes you think about things.
00:12:48
Next steps, preparing.
00:12:50
You know, lineman, you gotta be- Pole position … gotta be thinking
00:12:51
three-dimensional, you know?
00:12:53
Yeah.
00:12:53
Chest, four steps ahead.
00:12:54
Yep.
00:12:55
And Lineman Rodeo makes you do that.
00:12:57
100%. Like, it requires it.
00:12:58
100%. So it, it just, it just helps in all things linework.
00:13:02
Yeah, yeah.
00:13:03
Yeah, it, it's pretty wild how that r- how that relates a lot of times, right?
00:13:06
And so, like, Heath, I don't know how it was for you, but I was always the guy out
00:13:12
there in the field when we're working, we're not climbing as fast as we can.
00:13:15
That's not what we do out there, right?
00:13:17
And a lot of people have always told me, "Well, that's all
00:13:19
the rodeo does, climb fast."
00:13:20
No, it's not.
00:13:21
Right.
00:13:21
They do so much other stuff.
00:13:22
Oh, yeah.
00:13:23
And when you start looking into it and figuring out, it teaches you
00:13:25
efficiency and all that stuff, right?
00:13:27
So did you get a lot more efficient and a lot better
00:13:29
after you started for the rodeo?
00:13:31
Yeah, so, so that's kinda what we do when you go out there and you pre-job
00:13:33
and then you, you more or less, you game plan for the job you're about to do,
00:13:37
which is the same thing you do here.
00:13:38
So everybody gets on the same page, um, so hopefully you can
00:13:42
do it efficiently and safely.
00:13:44
You know, you don't wanna kill the man up on the pole, you know?
00:13:46
Right.
00:13:47
Rigging something that's too heavy, you wanna make it easier on him.
00:13:49
So it's, it keeps you talking, makes you, makes you better.
00:13:53
Definitely helps with that communication for sure.
00:13:54
Yeah.
00:13:55
Oh, yeah.
00:13:55
You have to talk on a rodeo team.
00:13:56
Yeah.
00:13:56
Oh, yeah.
00:13:56
There's no two ways about it.
00:13:58
Yeah.
00:13:58
All right, so Justin, what about practice time?
00:14:02
You guys practice a lot?
00:14:03
We, we try to practice as much as we can.
00:14:05
Right.
00:14:06
Uh, I mean, obviously, you know, outages, priorities take, you know,
00:14:09
precedent over rodeo, but- Yep
00:14:11
um, I know these guys, they've put in a lot of time.
00:14:14
Uh, and you know, unfortunately George is not able to be here and
00:14:17
I'm filling in, but the amount of ti- excuse me, the amount of time we've
00:14:22
practiced, I think we've excelled.
00:14:24
Um, we got 30 hours to practice for the rodeo, and that's about
00:14:29
all we've got this year, so.
00:14:31
That's something too a lot of people don't realize.
00:14:32
A lot of the teams out here practice on their own time.
00:14:35
Oh, yeah.
00:14:36
Right?
00:14:36
Weekends.
00:14:36
Night and day.
00:14:37
Yeah.
00:14:37
Yeah.
00:14:38
We've, there's hundreds of hours we've put in- Yep … just on Friday
00:14:43
evenings, Sunday after church.
00:14:45
Like, any time we had a minute and it wasn't raining- Yeah
00:14:48
we were meeting at the yard and climbing.
00:14:50
Again, that competitive nature kicks in.
00:14:51
Yeah, yeah.
00:14:51
And you're not gonna come out here unprepared.
00:14:53
No.
00:14:54
And during the day there's all kinds of other stuff that has to
00:14:56
be done at these utility companies.
00:14:58
Linemen aren't just sitting around being like, "Oh, there's nothing else to do.
00:15:00
Let's go practice." Yeah.
00:15:01
It doesn't work that way most of the time, right?
00:15:03
No, no.
00:15:03
Never, no.
00:15:04
Ever.
00:15:04
No, never.
00:15:06
Oh.
00:15:06
That'd be interesting, Bill.
00:15:07
So are, are there certain events that you guys really concentrate
00:15:11
on or know that are coming?
00:15:14
I mean, obviously the, the known events, you know, your hurt man and your
00:15:17
pole climb, they're not gonna change.
00:15:19
Yeah.
00:15:19
So they're, they're just a easy way to get on the pole.
00:15:23
Um, and it w- when we first started our team, like, we were in hurt
00:15:27
man a lot just because we, we know that, we know that's the event.
00:15:32
It gets Heath running the stick, me and Jordan are up the pole using
00:15:35
our hands, using the shotgun stick.
00:15:37
So it's kinda just like a little sprint, but you get to do a little bit of
00:15:41
everything in that minute, two minutes.
00:15:43
Yep.
00:15:44
So that's just a good place to start.
00:15:45
And then, you know, obviously when we first started, we would just change out
00:15:50
cross arm, cross arm, transform them, 'cause we were trying to figure stuff out.
00:15:54
You know, how to work together, how we need to hang hands on whatever.
00:15:58
And you know, we did put in so much time the first couple years, now we
00:16:02
can kinda wait until, hey, we see some pictures of the rodeo field- Mm-hmm
00:16:07
and frame that, and then practice more efficiently.
00:16:10
There you go.
00:16:11
'Cause I told them, I was like, "I'm not gonna change
00:16:12
out any more cross arms." Yeah.
00:16:13
I was like, "My kn- my knees are hurting" Yeah.
00:16:16
… and until we get pictured, I'm not gonna do it.
00:16:18
Yeah.
00:16:18
After 2, you probably got it, right?
00:16:20
Yeah, yeah.
00:16:20
We got it.
00:16:21
We got it down.
00:16:22
We know what we're gonna do.
00:16:23
It's just- So, so how about the mystery events, right?
00:16:25
Like, how do you prepare yourselves for those?
00:16:26
You don't know what they are.
00:16:28
Is it just- Run everything … just a mental- Yeah … if you think
00:16:30
it could happen, let's try it?
00:16:32
Yeah.
00:16:32
Yeah.
00:16:32
Okay.
00:16:32
Guessing game, basically.
00:16:33
Yeah.
00:16:34
Yeah.
00:16:34
I mean- We may run 10 different thing
00:16:36
Whatever the framing is, if you can think you could do it, we'll run it.
00:16:39
Yeah.
00:16:39
Okay.
00:16:39
And, and with rodeo, even if it seems far-fetched, sometimes they throw some
00:16:45
stuff in there just to- Like- … add a sequence or make you think.
00:16:48
So w- like last week we were in, we're like, "We would never do this." Like,
00:16:53
this doesn't even make sense, but it could be an event, you never know.
00:16:56
Yep, yep.
00:16:57
Um, but- So, so what's the favorite event?
00:17:00
I know you guys all have a favorite.
00:17:01
It's probably different, right?
00:17:02
Oh, I love the speed climb.
00:17:03
I just cheer 'em on.
00:17:04
They, they just stand there and hold an egg.
00:17:07
S- sit back with a bottle of water and just watch.
00:17:09
Yeah.
00:17:10
I, I, I like hurt man.
00:17:12
Um- I do.
00:17:13
I like the hurt man
00:17:14
I do like hurt man just because- We've had success there.
00:17:15
Yeah.
00:17:15
Okay.
00:17:16
All right.
00:17:16
You know, we, we won hurt man out here '23.
00:17:19
Mm-hmm.
00:17:19
Okay.
00:17:20
I think, um, you know, we've always done well at it, so you
00:17:24
like to do stuff you're good at.
00:17:25
Right.
00:17:25
Um, but to me, hurt man- Like, that could happen.
00:17:30
It's the most real event out there, right?
00:17:31
I mean, it's, it's the re- it's a real event.
00:17:33
So, like, like, you know, when we run it, like, I'm thinking like, "I want to
00:17:36
be as good at this as possible in case I have to cut a brother down." Yep.
00:17:40
Like, it's not just a rodeo event.
00:17:41
It, that's practice.
00:17:42
Like- 100%, man … the most important thing you could ever do.
00:17:45
Yeah So- That you hope you never have to do
00:17:47
that you never have to do.
00:17:48
Right.
00:17:48
Exactly.
00:17:48
Yeah.
00:17:49
I'm gonna throw a curve ball.
00:17:50
I like the mystery events.
00:17:51
Okay.
00:17:51
Just 'cause it shows your skills.
00:17:53
Right.
00:17:53
You know, obviously if, if it's a skill event, you know, not a speed event.
00:17:56
Yep.
00:17:57
Uh, because you're thinking outside the box to be faster
00:18:01
and better than that other team.
00:18:03
And everybody's starting on the same playing field at that point- Yeah
00:18:05
… 'cause no one knew the event, right?
00:18:07
Right.
00:18:07
Okay.
00:18:07
I see that mindset.
00:18:08
That's pretty cool.
00:18:08
I like that.
00:18:09
So do you guys ever run into a situation out here where they're framing stuff
00:18:13
and doing stuff totally different than you do it on Duke's system?
00:18:16
Yeah, a lot.
00:18:17
Um, yeah, I mean, just 'cause, you know, you go from different regions or
00:18:22
different cul- They all do it different … cul- you know, just the material.
00:18:24
Yeah.
00:18:25
It's like we've got out here and it's like we don't even- Yeah … know what that is.
00:18:27
Yeah.
00:18:28
We don't use a check wing or, you know.
00:18:29
It, it looks a lot different than anything we've got.
00:18:30
Yeah.
00:18:30
Yeah, so.
00:18:31
Heck yeah.
00:18:31
Or even a stick attachment where, you know, one, one utility across
00:18:35
the world might be using something that we never use, so even that,
00:18:39
that's, you know- That's crazy.
00:18:40
Yeah.
00:18:40
Yeah.
00:18:41
So you could be walking into something you've never touched
00:18:43
before- Yeah … have no idea about.
00:18:44
Oh, that's, that's happened many times.
00:18:46
Oh, boy.
00:18:47
Yep.
00:18:47
Oh, boy.
00:18:47
So you mentioned earlier that you guys won the d- the hurt man rescue.
00:18:51
Uh, do you mean, like, walk across the stage, hold up a trophy, won, right?
00:18:55
Yeah.
00:18:55
Yeah.
00:18:56
We got- Look at you guys … first place on- First place … hurt man.
00:18:58
Heck yeah.
00:18:59
Yeah.
00:19:00
That trophy's probably taller than you, right?
00:19:01
That, that was a belt buckle.
00:19:02
Maybe me.
00:19:03
Okay.
00:19:03
That, that, that was a belt buckle.
00:19:05
I'm the short one.
00:19:05
I, I wasn't… I looked at him.
00:19:06
I didn't even go there.
00:19:07
Yeah.
00:19:08
Yeah, that, that, that was a belt buckle.
00:19:10
So- Okay.
00:19:10
Yeah.
00:19:10
Okay.
00:19:11
That's awesome.
00:19:11
Yeah.
00:19:12
That's awesome.
00:19:12
That's one of those things you keep forever and ever.
00:19:14
Oh, yeah Right?
00:19:15
Yeah.
00:19:15
I got it in my bag.
00:19:16
I'll probably wear it Saturday.
00:19:17
That's awesome, man.
00:19:18
Heck yeah.
00:19:19
Cool.
00:19:19
Good deal.
00:19:20
So what's the plan for this year?
00:19:22
You gonna, gonna walk across stage this year?
00:19:24
Uh, we sure hope so.
00:19:25
We've- That, that's the goal, right?
00:19:26
Yeah.
00:19:26
I mean, yeah, we, we didn't come here- Okay … for T-shirts.
00:19:29
So my wife told me before I left, "If you're not first, you're last.
00:19:33
Don't come home unless you're first." So we gotta, we gotta represent.
00:19:37
There you go.
00:19:38
So you mentioned earlier that you guys are all competitive, right?
00:19:41
Who's the most competitive on the team?
00:19:43
Uh, I don't know.
00:19:44
It's tough.
00:19:45
It's tough.
00:19:45
It is tough.
00:19:46
I mean, we're, we're all competitors.
00:19:47
I'm, I'm gonna, I'm gonna say Miles- Okay
00:19:49
just 'cause he shows it more.
00:19:50
Okay.
00:19:51
I'm, and, and- A little more vocal about it … yeah, yeah, I'm a
00:19:52
little bit more quiet, but- There you go … I'm definitely competitive.
00:19:55
But Miles is definitely- Okay … the most competitive.
00:19:57
Okay.
00:19:57
Yeah.
00:19:58
I've never had fun losing.
00:20:00
So.
00:20:01
Oh, man.
00:20:02
All right.
00:20:03
So- Let's, let's talk about getting ready for the rodeo, right?
00:20:07
So no one… There's… You're, you're out there talking to somebody right
00:20:09
now who's never attended the rodeo.
00:20:11
What's it like when you walk in that competition morning and
00:20:14
you're walking out on that field?
00:20:15
What's that kind of experience like, that initial- Nerve-wracking until
00:20:18
the first- Yeah … till the f- till the, they start the first time.
00:20:21
Yeah.
00:20:21
Yeah.
00:20:21
And your nerves is just, you know, down here.
00:20:23
Yeah.
00:20:23
It sucks.
00:20:23
Kind of like, kind of like starting a football game in
00:20:26
high school- Yeah … right?
00:20:26
Yeah.
00:20:27
Yeah.
00:20:27
Like, it, it's just every time it's like, like that, isn't it?
00:20:30
Yeah.
00:20:30
Crazy.
00:20:31
And it, and it's so nerve-wracking, which, one, 'cause we wanna
00:20:34
compete- Right … and do well.
00:20:36
But what makes it so nerve-wracking is it's, it's not like football where
00:20:40
if you have a bad game, you play again next Friday- Yeah … or Saturday.
00:20:44
Yeah.
00:20:44
It's like we get to do… We get to come here once a year maybe.
00:20:47
If you're lucky.
00:20:47
If, if, if we- If we do good in Carolina … yeah, if we earn our spot.
00:20:51
So it's like one little hiccup, and you gotta wait 365- Man
00:20:54
to do it again.
00:20:55
So there's a lot, a lot of pre- I put a lot of pressure on myself.
00:20:58
Um, but normally as soon as, soon as that first hook goes in, gaff
00:21:01
goes in the pole, we lock in.
00:21:03
Then it's game on.
00:21:04
We lock in.
00:21:04
Yeah.
00:21:05
Yeah.
00:21:05
Nice.
00:21:05
Nice.
00:21:06
So.
00:21:06
So how, how much of winning these events is speed versus accuracy?
00:21:11
'Cause they have a scoring system, right?
00:21:13
So is it more important to be the fastest, or is it more important to not mess up?
00:21:18
Both.
00:21:18
You gotta be clean.
00:21:19
Gotta be clean.
00:21:19
You gotta be tight here.
00:21:20
But there's a lot of fast teams out here.
00:21:21
Yeah.
00:21:21
Yeah.
00:21:22
A lot.
00:21:22
I mean, you, you gotta be clean.
00:21:24
Not, not many rodeos are won with deductions anymore.
00:21:28
It's happened, but not, not very much.
00:21:31
And you gotta be fast.
00:21:32
I mean, it's There is no one or the other, is there?
00:21:35
You, you gotta, you gotta do both unfortunately- Okay … out here.
00:21:37
Okay.
00:21:38
Um, but I mean- That's why it's the best competition in the country- It
00:21:41
is, yeah … for this event, right?
00:21:42
I mean- Well, your top five teams here will be within five
00:21:44
or 10 seconds of each other.
00:21:46
Man, that's insane.
00:21:46
Yeah.
00:21:46
You know?
00:21:47
Yeah.
00:21:47
So- Yeah, I mean- … those seconds matter down here.
00:21:49
100%. Yeah, I mean, it, I mean, s- well, like last year, hurt man in pole
00:21:54
climb, we were sixth place, and it was, like, eight tenths of a second.
00:21:58
Man.
00:21:59
We were out from a walk, and that's, like, just the judge hitting stopwatch.
00:22:03
Right.
00:22:03
You know, it's like every- Did that eat you guys up?
00:22:05
Oh, yeah.
00:22:06
Oh, yeah.
00:22:07
I can only imagine, man.
00:22:07
Well, so we won it in '23, and then last year we ran it six or seven
00:22:12
seconds quicker and didn't place.
00:22:14
Yeah, we were sixth.
00:22:15
Man.
00:22:15
Yeah.
00:22:15
You know, as soon as he told us our time, it's like, "Oh man." We got this.
00:22:18
"We got this."
00:22:18
Yeah, we're good.
00:22:19
And then we weren't good.
00:22:20
Yeah.
00:22:21
So how long till you find out where you're at?
00:22:24
'Cause you don't… When, when you're done, you know your time, but you
00:22:26
don't know anybody else's time, right?
00:22:27
Seven, eight hours.
00:22:28
Yeah.
00:22:29
Of waiting?
00:22:29
Yeah.
00:22:30
You're… Oh, man.
00:22:30
I mean, you know, rodeo's done around lunchtime.
00:22:32
You're pacing the field.
00:22:34
Banquet, they start calling out awards 8:00, 8:30.
00:22:37
Man.
00:22:37
So- So you don't know till you're at the award banquet.
00:22:39
Yeah, you don't know till you're there.
00:22:40
Have no idea.
00:22:41
Ooh, man.
00:22:41
Yeah.
00:22:42
Yeah.
00:22:42
So- I bet that's a long few hours right there, huh?
00:22:45
It is.
00:22:46
So is there another team out here that you guys are like, "We're going after them.
00:22:52
That, that's our team that we compete against every time," right?
00:22:55
There's several.
00:22:55
Kinda like, kinda like basketball, right?
00:22:56
There's several.
00:22:57
Yeah.
00:22:57
Okay.
00:22:58
You got a handful of them, and you, you know they're good, and you know
00:23:00
you want to be- Oh, yeah … as good or better than them, huh?
00:23:02
Yeah, it's- Okay … it's typically always the same names.
00:23:05
Right.
00:23:05
Um, I mean, I, I look back, you know, at years past just kinda like-
00:23:10
Yeah … 'cause I'm a nerd, and I like looking at it, but it's, it's
00:23:14
typically always the same names.
00:23:15
Yeah.
00:23:15
Um, every now and again there'll be a one-off, but- The ones jockeying
00:23:19
for that stage position every year.
00:23:20
Yeah.
00:23:20
Yeah.
00:23:21
Okay.
00:23:21
For me- I'm only worried about us though.
00:23:25
Like, I just don't wanna beat ourself.
00:23:27
That's it.
00:23:27
Like, give ourself a chance- Yeah … and then the chips fall where they may.
00:23:30
That's it.
00:23:30
If somebody beats you, congratulations.
00:23:33
Right.
00:23:33
Like- May the best man win- That's right … but at least you didn't beat yourself.
00:23:35
That's right.
00:23:35
Yeah.
00:23:36
You know?
00:23:36
Yeah.
00:23:36
Yeah.
00:23:37
Way better than going out there and making mistakes- Yeah
00:23:39
and knowing that you cost yourself.
00:23:40
Yeah.
00:23:41
We've done that.
00:23:43
Everybody has.
00:23:44
You know?
00:23:44
Everybody has.
00:23:46
So I know you guys said the, the goal this year is, is to win, right?
00:23:50
And the goal is that way, it, it's every year, right?
00:23:52
It's always to win.
00:23:53
But what, what's a takeaway?
00:23:55
If, if we're not walking across that stage, what's, what's the goal?
00:23:59
What's the takeaway?
00:24:00
What's the drive behind doing it?
00:24:03
'Cause you, you can't have the only drive to be winning, right?
00:24:06
Yeah.
00:24:07
There's gotta be another reason to do it.
00:24:08
I'd say on my part, uh, is giving 110%.
00:24:12
Okay.
00:24:12
Knowing that I gave everything I gave out in there on the rodeo, win or lose, that
00:24:17
I didn't basically give up on these guys.
00:24:19
You know what I mean?
00:24:20
That's it.
00:24:20
You know, I just don't want… So if something happens, I hope it
00:24:23
don't, uh, but knowing that I gave it all would make me feel better.
00:24:28
Yeah, kinda like that sports team you guys were talking about when you were
00:24:30
growing up, be playing sports, right?
00:24:31
Yeah.
00:24:31
You, you wanna do the best you can for the team, and if the team wins, great.
00:24:34
If not, you know you did the best you can.
00:24:36
Right.
00:24:37
Right?
00:24:37
Yeah.
00:24:37
Okay.
00:24:37
That makes sense.
00:24:38
That makes sense.
00:24:39
So- Some guys look at it as, as just competition, strictly
00:24:44
competition, and that's it.
00:24:46
And you guys said that you kinda compete against yourselves a lot, right?
00:24:50
So what happens when you go home and don't bring home a belt buckle or a trophy,
00:24:56
and you talk to the other Duke guys?
00:24:57
How's that conversation go?
00:24:59
Do they razz you?
00:25:00
Um, there… I mean, there's always some- Do they razz you more- I
00:25:02
razz Jack a little … there's always some banter with linemen.
00:25:04
Yeah.
00:25:04
You know that.
00:25:04
Do they razz you more when you do place high or when you don't?
00:25:08
'Cause I'm sure when you walk in with that belt buckle or that trophy,
00:25:10
they razz you for that too, right?
00:25:11
Oh, yeah.
00:25:12
There's- there's haters for- There's always some- There's haters if
00:25:15
you do good, haters if you do bad.
00:25:16
Yeah.
00:25:17
Um, I'm harder on myself than anybody could ever be on me, though, so.
00:25:22
Well- Um … I've got, I've got a office in my- at my op center, and I've got
00:25:27
all our plaques and, and everything.
00:25:28
That's awesome, man.
00:25:28
And when… So when we got fourth place last year and that trophy's, you know,
00:25:33
as big as I am, when you take it in there and them guys, it's instant target.
00:25:36
They're looking for you, just take a jab somewhere.
00:25:38
100%. Mm. You know?
00:25:40
100%. You know, Mr. Rodeo or whatever.
00:25:42
So, and it takes, you know, several weeks before that finally dies out.
00:25:47
How many teams do you guys bring?
00:25:49
Uh, so there's, I don't know total, so Duke Midwest has three teams.
00:25:57
Um, there's, there's four teams out of our area- Okay … three
00:26:01
journeyman teams and a senior.
00:26:02
Okay.
00:26:03
And then the eastern part of North Carolina there are also
00:26:06
three teams and a senior, and then three and a senior from Florida.
00:26:09
Okay.
00:26:10
So- You guys got a pretty good crew, I hear that … so I guess,
00:26:12
what is that, 12, 12 teams.
00:26:14
Heck yeah.
00:26:14
Yeah.
00:26:15
So you got a lot of competition right there just inside the Duke teams, right?
00:26:18
Yeah.
00:26:18
Oh, yeah.
00:26:18
Yeah.
00:26:19
Yeah, and there's- And it's good competition … there,
00:26:20
there's- Dragon race right there … it's good competition.
00:26:22
They're good, yeah.
00:26:22
It's good competition.
00:26:22
They're- That's awesome … Duke, Duke has some great teams.
00:26:25
That's awesome.
00:26:26
Um, we've… I mean, we're lucky because, you know, within an hour of where we
00:26:30
live, you know, our buddies that rodeo at Duke, you know, we'll meet up and-
00:26:34
Yep … compete against each other.
00:26:35
Yep.
00:26:36
And iron sharpens iron.
00:26:37
Uh-huh.
00:26:37
And they're good, you know, so it's like it's a drag race every
00:26:39
time we're together- That's awesome … which is good 'cause it
00:26:41
kinda lets you know where you're at.
00:26:43
Mm-hmm.
00:26:43
Um- Sure, it balances you out and- Yeah … you know, you figure
00:26:46
out what you need to work on- Yeah … and all that stuff, right?
00:26:48
Yeah.
00:26:48
If, if the guy next door is beating you, somebody over here
00:26:50
is gonna be beating you- Oh, yeah.
00:26:51
Absolutely … so you gotta get better.
00:26:52
Yep.
00:26:52
Yeah, yeah.
00:26:53
Okay.
00:26:53
So I've, I've always kinda gone back and forth with this, right?
00:26:57
And you guys said you're competitive, and that's second nature for a lot of linemen.
00:27:01
So does the rodeo make linemen better, or do the better linemen get gravitated
00:27:07
towards the rodeo, or is it both?
00:27:10
I think it could be both.
00:27:12
Um- Yeah, I agree with that.
00:27:13
Both 'Cause, I mean, the people out here are phenomenal, right?
00:27:16
Mm-hmm.
00:27:16
These teams, th- there's not a bad team out here.
00:27:18
They're all good.
00:27:19
A lot of talent.
00:27:20
So it's always kind of like a, man, I don't know, are, are the good linemen just
00:27:24
drawn to the competition side of things?
00:27:26
Or does that whole competition make you a better lineman?
00:27:32
I… It's, it's, it's full circle.
00:27:34
Yeah.
00:27:34
I mean, I know- It's the chicken and the egg, right?
00:27:35
… just, just speaking for myself, I mean, it, it made me a better lineman.
00:27:39
Okay.
00:27:39
'Cause like I said, you know, the thinking, just the repetition
00:27:43
of doing things, you know.
00:27:44
I mean, just, just, I mean, obviously if you're doing the rodeo, you're gonna
00:27:48
climb a lot more than people who don't.
00:27:50
Right.
00:27:51
You do something more, you get better at it.
00:27:53
I mean, baseball players, they practice every day.
00:27:56
Yep.
00:27:56
Football players practice every day.
00:27:58
That's why they're professionals.
00:27:59
That's exactly right.
00:28:00
Um, so- Well, and I always told the people- … just keep- … at the
00:28:02
utility, right, when I was there, you, you get better by answering your phone
00:28:06
and taking those overtime calls- Yeah
00:28:07
because you learn a lot of stuff- Sure … that you're
00:28:08
not gonna learn during the day.
00:28:09
Yeah.
00:28:09
If you have two apprentices and they're at the same step, and this
00:28:12
one answers his phone every time and this one never does, I promise you
00:28:15
this guy's gonna be a better lineman.
00:28:16
Yeah.
00:28:16
100%. He's gonna be.
00:28:17
Just, just- Just out of the repetition and just like you said, just doing
00:28:20
it and getting the experience.
00:28:21
It's just life experience.
00:28:22
Yep.
00:28:22
Yep.
00:28:23
Um, more experiences, you, you learn what to do and what not to do.
00:28:27
And plus you get to see more stuff in the rodeo than you
00:28:29
would in the real world too.
00:28:31
So I mean, even, you know, even stick work.
00:28:33
I mean, here at Duke we don't, you know, distribution- Mm-hmm … we
00:28:36
don't do a lot of stick work.
00:28:38
And then you come out here and you're working on a pole with a stick, you're
00:28:40
honing in on them skills that it could be used one day out in the real world.
00:28:43
You never know.
00:28:44
That's exactly right.
00:28:44
So- Yeah … something like that.
00:28:45
That's exactly right.
00:28:46
You never know where your path's gonna take you and where you're gonna find
00:28:48
yourself, and some of those skills like that, that you can pull out of
00:28:50
your back pocket when you need it- Mm
00:28:52
are so handy, right?
00:28:53
Oh, yeah.
00:28:54
I'd rather have them and never use them than need them and be like, "Oh, man-
00:28:57
That's right … let me call somebody. I don't know how to do this." Yeah.
00:28:58
What is that Y- YouTube video there?
00:29:01
Oh, man.
00:29:02
So- You guys are allowed to go out and look at the field ahead of time, right?
00:29:08
But that's it?
00:29:09
Yeah, you, you- Can't touch anything?
00:29:11
You, you, yeah, you can't get in the event area.
00:29:12
Okay.
00:29:13
Okay.
00:29:13
Um, yeah.
00:29:14
All right.
00:29:14
And, and they, in the rodeo, they, they send out pictures- Okay … a
00:29:17
few weeks before the event, so you know what the framing is.
00:29:19
Okay.
00:29:19
Or close.
00:29:20
If you're paying attention.
00:29:21
If you're looking.
00:29:21
Right.
00:29:22
Yeah.
00:29:22
We're, we're looking 'cause we'll, 'cause we'll build, you know, something close
00:29:25
to what they sent- Okay … practice on.
00:29:27
So how do you guys stay, I'm not gonna say in shape, 'cause you're
00:29:32
obv- obviously in shape, right?
00:29:33
But those three or four days of being here, of not climbing and not, not- Okay.
00:29:37
Like, whoa.
00:29:41
I knew it was coming before you even said it.
00:29:44
Yeah.
00:29:44
I could- I was waiting on a jab.
00:29:46
You're, you're, you're not climbing, you're not doing that stuff.
00:29:48
You obviously are not gonna go out there Saturday and just jump on a
00:29:50
pole and go as fast as you can, right?
00:29:52
Are, are you stretching?
00:29:53
Are you moving around?
00:29:54
What, what are you doing every day besides walking around looking at stuff?
00:29:56
A lot of stretching for me.
00:29:58
We gotta stretch every day.
00:29:58
Yeah.
00:29:59
Okay.
00:29:59
We go from- I have to stretch You have to, right?
00:30:01
Yeah.
00:30:01
Okay.
00:30:01
Yeah.
00:30:02
I was just curious.
00:30:02
We, we were talk- I was actually talking to Jay Buck yesterday, and
00:30:06
then he's another competitor from Duke, and we were like, "Man, I wish
00:30:08
they would set some poles out in the parking lot over there- Right
00:30:12
just so you could get your legs loose." Yeah.
00:30:14
'Cause we haven't climbed a pole since last Thursday.
00:30:18
Yep.
00:30:18
Mm-hmm.
00:30:18
So we're nine, nine, 10 days of not climbing a pole, and
00:30:23
then you just got a strap on.
00:30:24
It's gonna be 30- And go … 37 degrees- Yeah … Saturday morning.
00:30:27
Yeah.
00:30:27
Here's the whistle, go.
00:30:28
Yeah.
00:30:28
Yeah.
00:30:29
So I, I do wish there was some poles out there where you could just climb.
00:30:32
Yeah.
00:30:33
Um, but stretching is a must.
00:30:36
And the older I get, the more I have to stretch.
00:30:37
That was the next thing I was gonna ask.
00:30:39
Would you have said that 12 years ago?
00:30:41
Absolutely not.
00:30:41
I wouldn't, wouldn't even, I wouldn't even know what stretch was 12 years ago.
00:30:46
Those guys that are here for their first rodeo are probably
00:30:48
up here at this, uh- Yeah
00:30:49
this lobby up here right now, right?
00:30:51
Yo, yeah, they're ha- they're having a good time.
00:30:52
Yep.
00:30:52
We're drinking water.
00:30:53
Oh, man.
00:30:55
So if, if you guys have a young apprentice out there wa- watching this
00:30:59
conversation, right, and thinking about maybe competing in a rodeo someday, what
00:31:03
kind of advice do you guys have for them?
00:31:05
Do it.
00:31:06
Do it Even if you don't have any support, e- like, even if guys heckle you, do it.
00:31:11
Um, just invaluable.
00:31:13
You meet, you meet people.
00:31:14
You come here to the expo, you see tools that you wouldn't normally see.
00:31:17
You can take that back to your company, utility, like, "Hey, I
00:31:19
want to try this." Um, it, it hones your skills, obviously makes you a
00:31:25
better communicator on the job site.
00:31:27
Um, just e- everything, it just… I would just do it.
00:31:31
Do it and work hard at it.
00:31:32
Right.
00:31:33
Yeah.
00:31:33
I… So I had a guy approach me earlier today, we were over at the safety part
00:31:36
of it, and he was a younger apprentice.
00:31:40
He actually had to take time off to come here this week- Yeah … 'cause
00:31:43
his company wouldn't send him and didn't, didn't align with it.
00:31:46
So he took vacation days to come here.
00:31:48
Now, he's not competing, but he's paying attention to the safety conference.
00:31:52
He's going to the expo and looking at all the tooling and all, all the
00:31:54
stuff available, and going out there and watching the climbing stuff
00:31:57
on Saturday and stuff like that.
00:31:58
And it takes that kind of commitment.
00:32:00
Even if your company doesn't support it, you can still be involved, right?
00:32:03
Oh, yeah.
00:32:03
Yeah.
00:32:03
You've got to take it upon yourself at some point, 'cause
00:32:05
not every company supports these guys like your company does.
00:32:08
Yeah.
00:32:08
Yeah, we're lucky.
00:32:09
We're- Right … you know, Duke's very good to support
00:32:11
it, and they see value in it.
00:32:13
Um- 100%.
00:32:14
100%. So b- before we wrap up, I, I've gotta ask, which one of you guys is the
00:32:20
one that's gonna be out there cutting jokes Saturday, having a good time?
00:32:23
Or is everybody game on, no jokes, no messing around?
00:32:27
Pretty much- Game on.
00:32:28
Yeah, game on.
00:32:28
Really?
00:32:29
Yeah.
00:32:29
Yeah.
00:32:29
So the other teams are gonna be over there cutting jokes, and you guys
00:32:31
are just gonna be game faced- Yeah
00:32:32
doing it, huh?
00:32:33
I think.
00:32:33
Yeah.
00:32:33
We met a guy today that's gonna be cutting jokes.
00:32:35
Yeah.
00:32:35
Bob.
00:32:36
Yeah.
00:32:36
Yeah.
00:32:36
We, we, we may, we may jab each other on the ride to the rodeo field.
00:32:40
Once we get out, we're locked in.
00:32:41
Okay.
00:32:41
Yeah.
00:32:42
Okay.
00:32:42
The jokes- Yeah … don't happen until later after it's all done, huh?
00:32:45
Yeah.
00:32:45
After the awards are done.
00:32:46
Yeah.
00:32:47
Yeah.
00:32:48
All right.
00:32:49
So who's the guy that is gonna be talking the most trash after this thing's over?
00:32:53
Sunday, when you guys are heading back home, out of the three of you, who's gonna
00:32:56
be, who's gonna be talking more trash?
00:32:57
Heath.
00:32:58
What?
00:32:59
Yeah.
00:32:59
Heath.
00:32:59
The, the ground- Listen to- You gotta watch those ground men
00:33:01
these guys.
00:33:01
The ground men will do it.
00:33:02
The ground, ground men are rough.
00:33:03
They're just rough.
00:33:03
You know, i- if we lose- I'm gonna pick 'em apart … event by one second- Yep
00:33:07
… so we come sixth place, he's gonna say, "Well, you should've climbed faster."
00:33:09
"You should've done this faster." Yeah.
00:33:11
You know, it wasn't his fault.
00:33:13
Don't let 'em lie to you.
00:33:13
They're gonna say, "You should've ran the stick faster." 100%.
00:33:16
It's gonna be on me.
00:33:16
Yeah.
00:33:17
It goes both ways, right?
00:33:18
Yeah.
00:33:18
I love that.
00:33:20
I love that mentality.
00:33:20
We can, we can, we can all be better.
00:33:21
Yeah.
00:33:22
That's right.
00:33:22
You guys sound like you might be related.
00:33:23
We do pick it apart, though.
00:33:24
It is, uh…
00:33:25
You know, after the rodeo, we do spend a lot of time talking about where we
00:33:28
could've shaved three seconds here.
00:33:31
You know, it is picked apart after it's over.
00:33:33
Oh, yeah.
00:33:33
It, it's just like, it's just like competitive sports- Especially if
00:33:36
you're close … and films, right?
00:33:37
Yeah.
00:33:37
Like, they, they watch their films, they critique themselves,
00:33:39
they figure out how to get better.
00:33:40
If you're not doing that, you're not taking it serious, right?
00:33:42
Oh, yeah.
00:33:43
Yeah.
00:33:43
You do it, like, that quick, like as soon as it's over pretty much?
00:33:47
Oh, we're- Oh, yeah … we're on the plane- Yeah … looking at…
00:33:50
Typically, which we're all out here flying solo, typically our wives are
00:33:53
here- Yep … and they video everything.
00:33:55
Okay.
00:33:56
So, like, heck, we're sitting in the hotel room waiting on the awards
00:34:01
banquet like, "Where did we lose time?" Like, we're picking it apart.
00:34:04
Um- So they've even learned enough.
00:34:08
It's like, "Why'd you do that?" Oh, yeah.
00:34:09
"You shouldn't have done that." Yeah.
00:34:11
Yeah.
00:34:11
Our wives- That's awesome … our wives probably make pretty good rodeo fans.
00:34:14
Yeah.
00:34:14
That is awesome.
00:34:15
You can hear Brittany on the sideline, "Don't forget to holler, you know, 911.
00:34:19
Don't forget the headache." You know, just different things- That's awesome,
00:34:21
man … like making sure we're on it.
00:34:22
That's support though, right?
00:34:24
Yeah.
00:34:24
Like, that's pretty cool.
00:34:25
I love seeing that.
00:34:26
So i- is there Anything that you wanna say to the folks out there back home at
00:34:31
Duke who are rooting you on right now?
00:34:33
Hope we're- Or, but- … hope we're one.
00:34:35
Yeah.
00:34:35
We are.
00:34:35
I mean, thanks to Duke for allowing us to come.
00:34:37
Right.
00:34:38
It's a great opportunity.
00:34:39
Um, you know, just thanks to all our customers for, you know, being supportive.
00:34:44
I mean, m- most people are supportive of the linemen.
00:34:46
Right Just, just in general, so just thank you to that.
00:34:49
Thank you to our families for supporting us, letting us come.
00:34:52
That's awesome.
00:34:52
Yeah.
00:34:53
That's awesome.
00:34:53
A lot of gratitude.
00:34:54
Yeah, we're blessed with the opportunity.
00:34:56
I mean- That's exactly right … you know.
00:34:57
That's exactly what it is.
00:34:57
L- like what you were saying earlier, a lot of people don't get their way
00:35:00
to come here, so we're super blessed.
00:35:02
That's awesome And, and to be as competitive as we are and get to
00:35:05
come, and Duke supports that, I mean, you can't beat it, so- That's
00:35:09
amazing … so we're blessed with it.
00:35:10
Good deal.
00:35:10
Yeah.
00:35:10
At least you guys recognize that.
00:35:11
That's pretty awesome, man.
00:35:12
Yeah.
00:35:12
Our zone is probably the most rodeo supportive in Duke Energy.
00:35:16
That's awesome.
00:35:17
Yeah.
00:35:17
So we do have a lot of support.
00:35:18
My direct boss, huge rodeo guy.
00:35:21
Uh, you know, I'm sure they're the same way.
00:35:23
Yeah.
00:35:23
That's cool.
00:35:24
So if we need it, we can get it.
00:35:25
I wish that happened- They want us to be good … I wish that
00:35:27
happened more often, right?
00:35:28
Yeah.
00:35:28
Yeah.
00:35:28
'Cause it, it, like you said, it only makes people better- Yeah
00:35:30
especially in this trade.
00:35:31
You just- Yeah … you need to get all the experience and all the help and all
00:35:34
the ways to get better that you can.
00:35:35
Yeah.
00:35:35
So.
00:35:36
Absolutely.
00:35:36
Well, listen, I appreciate you guys sitting down with me.
00:35:38
I know you guys are busy.
00:35:39
I'm probably gonna catch up with you Saturday- Okay … out there in the field.
00:35:42
Cool.
00:35:42
I'll let you guys finish, and then may- maybe we'll circle back
00:35:45
and see how things are going.
00:35:46
Hopefully we got smiles on our face.
00:35:47
Yeah.
00:35:48
Yeah.
00:35:49
If we're cracking jokes, that's a good thing.
00:35:51
Cracking jokes.
00:35:51
Yeah, yeah.
00:35:52
If there ain't no jokes, it wasn't a good day.
00:35:54
Well, we may have to postpone it till after the banquet
00:35:56
then and see how that goes.
00:35:57
I don't know.
00:35:57
Well, we'll see.
00:35:58
We should, we should have a pretty good idea.
00:36:00
Okay.
00:36:00
Yeah.
00:36:00
Okay.
00:36:01
Yeah.
00:36:01
We, we normally have a good idea.
00:36:03
We, we know enough people, and enough people are talking where you
00:36:06
kinda know where the good teams are.
00:36:08
Yep.
00:36:08
Where, where you're gonna stand, so.
00:36:10
Yep.
00:36:10
You go over to them afterwards like, "Hey, uh, how'd you do on that one?"
00:36:12
Yeah, yeah.
00:36:13
I mean, we all do that.
00:36:14
I mean, I, that's one cool thing about rodeo is we've got friends all
00:36:18
over the country now that we've, you know, we've seen here, here- Heck
00:36:21
yeah … you know, in other rodeos.
00:36:22
And we're texting each other, "What'd you run on this? How
00:36:25
you, how you guys looking?" So.
00:36:26
That's awesome.
00:36:27
Yeah.
00:36:28
But- Well- … we'll have, we'll have a pretty good idea … I
00:36:30
do appreciate it, guys.
00:36:31
Absolutely.
00:36:31
So I'm looking forward- Appreciate you … to watching you guys compete out there.
00:36:33
I think it's gonna be a great time to watch.
00:36:35
Of course, I'll be as laid back as I can be 'cause I don't
00:36:38
have anything tied into it.
00:36:39
Yeah, yeah.
00:36:40
For me, it'll be a little bit different, but- Yeah … I wish
00:36:42
you guys the best out there.
00:36:43
Thanks, Tom.
00:36:43
Appreciate it.
00:36:44
Yeah.
00:36:44
And, uh, we'll circle back soon.
00:36:45
Appreciate it.
00:36:45
Thanks, sir. Yeah.
00:36:46
Appreciate it.
00:36:46
That's it for today's episode of Power Grid Talks: From the
00:36:50
Bucket Trucks to the Boardrooms.
00:36:52
I'm your host, Tom Williamson.
00:36:54
I wanna thank you for joining me as we talk to the people behind the
00:36:57
scenes who keep our grid strong.
00:36:59
If you enjoyed this conversation, be sure to hit that subscribe button, give
00:37:03
it a share, and leave a review so we can keep bringing more voices from across the
00:37:08
utility world to the conversation table.
00:37:10
You can also find us at powergridtalks.com.
00:37:14
Until next time, stay safe and keep the power flowing.
00:37:21
In this industry, the right contractor can make all the difference.
00:37:25
At United Powerline Solutions, we believe it takes more than manpower.
00:37:29
It takes safety, quality, accountability, and a commitment
00:37:33
to delivering when it matters most.
00:37:36
From everyday construction and maintenance to the moments when the lights go out
00:37:40
and your customers are counting on you, United is built to be the partner
00:37:44
you need when the job is on the line.
00:37:47
Because when you put your trust in a contractor, their performance becomes
00:37:50
a reflection of your operation.
00:37:53
We understand that responsibility and we take it seriously.
00:37:58
United Powerline Solutions, the solution you've been looking for.
00:38:03
If you want to discuss what the United solution looks like for your team, contact
00:38:08
us through our website, upowerlines.com.
00:38:12
That's the letter U, powerlines.com.