The Ozarks Technical Community College Lebanon Center will stage its first-ever Lineman Rodeo on Tuesday, May 10, beginning at 10 a.m. The OTC Lebanon Center is located at 22360 Highway MM in Lebanon. The event is free and the public is invited to watch. Spectators are encouraged to bring lawn chairs.
First-year students from OTC Lebanon and the OTC Richwood Valley Campus will compete in individual and team events related to the lineworker industry. Competitions include:
- Single-phase line build — Students work together to build a line structure similar to lines that deliver overhead power to people’s homes.
- Pole top rescue — Students start on the ground, put on their gear, climb the pole, safely lower the dummy that represents a hurt worker to the ground, and then climb down to administer first aid.
- Obstacle climb — Students climb a utility pole but will have to negotiate obstacles similar to what they might encounter on the job.
- Cross arm hang — Students work together to install a cross arm horizontally on the utility pole while suspended in the air in their climbing equipment.
Professionals from Ozark Electric Co-op and Laclede Electric Co-op will serve as judges.
OTC debuted the lineworker program at the Lebanon center in the fall of 2018. Student demand for the program was so great that the college expanded the program to the Richwood Valley campus in the fall of 2021.
Students interested in pursuing a career in Electrical Distribution Systems at either Lebanon or Richwood Valley should visit otc.edu/eds, email eds@otc.edu or call 417-447-8146.