Twenty-nine-year-old Dustin Partika had butterflies in his stomach as he approached the International Lineman's Rodeo grounds for the first time. Far away from his home of Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S., Partika didn't know what to expect.

“I could not believe how many people were there, and it was so much bigger than I imagined it to be,” said Partika, an apprentice for the Hawaiian Electric Co. (HECO).

While he had seen some videos of the rodeo competition on YouTube, he said it was a completely different experience in person. Twenty-two apprentices and journeymen — including 12 from Oahu, five from Maui and five from the Big Island — made the long trek to the state of Kansas.

“The best part of being in Kansas was the way we all took care of each other,” he said. “We were so far from home that we were like one big family.”

The company's CEO, Dick Rosenblum, was on hand to support the linemen at the rodeo. He sponsored the trip as part of his company's mission to embrace change. Fred Kana'i Kauhane, supervisor of HECO's construction and maintenance department, said he found the people at the rodeo to be warm and friendly.

“In Hawaii, we live Aloha,” he said. “The Aloha Spirit is a well-known reference to the attitude of friendly acceptance for which the Hawaiian Islands are so famous. In Kansas, I found the people to be the same. Everyone went out of their way to see that we were happy.”

Training Techniques

To prepare for the rodeo, Partika met with a group of coworkers at the end of the work day to climb and practice different techniques.

The Hawaiian utilities set up training sessions with the A Company, 249^th Engineer Battalion (Prime Power) and Northwest Linemen College, which taught rigging classes. The linemen had the opportunity to make new friends, exchange climbing techniques and set up their own Lineman's Rodeo events.

HECO linemen also collaborated with Hawaiian Electric Light Co. and Maui Electric Co. linemen and apprentices.

“Although we were one team, we never worked together, so it was nice being able to spend time with our outer island brothers,” Kauhane said.

While the Hawaiian Electric linemen took a team approach to training, the mainland utilities also encouraged their linemen to work together to prepare for the competition. For example, after work, the Ameren Illinois apprentices practiced on poles, which were set up on the work site. They practiced two days a week for a month and then studied for the written test.

Jessie Levi, an apprentice lineman for Duke Energy in Anderson, South Carolina, also practiced alongside other linemen on a line set up behind his office building. He worked on changing out insulators, tapping transformers, improving the time on his speed climb and safely “rescuing” the dummy during the hurt man rescue. Like the other competitors, he also studied all the material for the written test and prepared as much as possible for the mystery event.

“For me, it was one of those things that was such a long time coming,” said Levi the day before the rodeo, where he scored a 94 on his written test and earned fifth place in the Top Apprentice Overall category. “You try to practice everything you can to prepare for the event, and when it begins to get close, you want to just do it instead of talking about it.”

On the Road

After the linemen had trained for the competition and packed up their tools, they were ready to hit the road and put their skills to the test. For many field crews, the trip to Kansas is often as eventful as the competition itself.

Just ask the Hawaii linemen who had to travel 10 hours by plane with a three-hour layover just to get to Kansas City. Others carpooled with their teammates like Levi, who traveled with a big group to Kansas City. Three journeyman teams and two apprentice teams traveled together.

“They brought a lot of support for us, and it's like a family gathering,” Levi said. “I often see other linemen at rodeos and storms, and it is always good to get back together. We've had a lot of fun on this trip.”

Jonathan Hoffman, a 28-year-old second-class lineman for Empire District Electric Co. in Joplin, Missouri, said one of his favorite parts of the trip was being able to spend time with his coworkers away from work. He traveled with a group of 50 workers, and six of the employees were first-timers. He said the trip took about 2.5 hours, and they all stayed together at the Marriott hotel.

In addition to hitting the road in a caravan of cars, some utilities also rented luxury buses to transport its teams to the event. For example, Manitoba Hydro loaded 16 employees including its top two apprentices and top two journeymen in a bus at 5 a.m. Nineteen hours later, the Canadian team arrived at their hotel at midnight.

Dusty Hegalson, a fourth-year apprentice for Manitoba Hydro who ranked as the 63^rd apprentice in the 2010 competition, said he was honored to be one of the two Manitoba Hydro apprentices competing at the rodeo. As the son of a veteran lineman and rodeo judge, he said it meant a lot to both him and his father that he was able to compete for the first time.