Across 25 of Georgia’s finest competing linemen teams, Snapping Shoals EMC placed 1^st, 3^rd, 14^th and 15^th overall in the Georgia Lineman’s Rodeo on Saturday, May 4. With many Georgia EMC’s consistently competing at a high level in the International Lineman’s Rodeo every year, a showing of this magnitude at the state level is an outstanding achievement.

While the rodeo acts as an opportunity for linemen families to connect with one another, it never fails to inspire competing teams to perfect their craft, sacrificing time within their personal lives to sharpen their skills and efficiency ahead of the events which mirror challenges they face every day.

With all competing teams sharing countless years of experience, perfect scores are common, making their final times crucial to placement. Here are how our teams performed:  

TEAM 22

The team of Dakota Conner, Colby Chapman and Dustin Kerbow placed 1st among all teams with an overall time of 23:25.00, 14 seconds faster than Cobb EMC, who had a time of 23:39.00.

• 8^th in Hurtman Event
• 1^st in Known Event with a time of 06:35.00 … an entire 36 seconds faster than any other EMC’s time
• 9^th in Mystery Event
• 6^th in Mystery Event II

TEAM 23

The team of Caleb Nix, J.C. Bradshaw and Chris Harper placed 3rd among all teams with an overall time of 23:40.00, just 1 second behind Cobb EMC’s 23:39.00 and a full 23 seconds ahead of Habersham EMC’s 24:03.00.

• 12^th in Hurtman Event
• 2^nd in Known Event with a time of 07:06.00
• 7^th in Mystery Event
• 3rd in Mystery Event II

TEAM 24

The team of Cameron Leach, Richie Clark and Hunter Norman placed 14th among all teams had an overall time of 33:06.00.

• 24^th in Hurtman Event
• 15^th in Known Event
• 17^th in Mystery Event I
• 18^th in Mystery Event II

TEAM 25

The senior division team of Don Ritchey, Terry Buffer and David Hawkins placed 15^th among all teams and 2^nd within the senior division, with an overall time of 33:21.00.

• 25^th in Hurtman Event
• 18^th in Known Event
• 18^th in Mystery Event I
• 13^th in Mystery Event II

Lawson Beshears and Brett McDevitt competed at an individual level in the Apprentice Division with McDevitt placing 19^th and Beshears placing 46^th amongst 131 total competitors.

Don Ritchey, SSEMC’s Senior Vice President of Line Services and one of the senior team’s competitors shared how the EMC’s involvement in the rodeo has evolved over the years.

“I’ve been doing this since 1996 (his first rodeo) where we started here with nothing. There was just one team, no trailer and we didn’t have many people come to watch — so watching it go from that to getting here on Saturday with 4 teams, 2 apprentices and feeding 57 people from Snapping Shoals alone … I love it,” Ritchey said. “When the feeling I have on Saturday morning goes away, that’s when I know it’s time. It’s a day of work, takes a lot of practice, but as far as the competition goes … it’s in your blood.”