Jason Novak of Marion will lead eight Ameren Illinois teams and a dozen apprentices into the International Lineman’s Rodeo – a two-day competition, Oct. 14-15, in Bonner Springs, Kansas.
Novak, a line foreman for Ameren Illinois, already has one climbing award under his belt in 2016. He won the inaugural Climbin’ For Linemen event this summer at Gateway Motorsports Park in Madison, Illinois, as part of the festivities to kick-off the Drivin’ For Linemen NASCAR truck series race, June 25.
The Lineman’s Rodeo attracts the best linemen from around the world to compete in events based on traditional lineman tasks and skills such as the hurtman rescue and pole climb. More than 200 teams are entered.
The hurtman rescue is the event Novak won this summer. “You start off with all your tools laying on the ground. A 175-pound dummy is hung up in the air and you have to use a rope and a block,” said Novak,
who has been a lineman for Ameren Illinois for 19 years. “You put your tools on, run up the 40-foot pole,
tie the dummy off and lower him down to the ground.”
Ameren Illinois will have linemen representing the following communities from across its entire service territory – Belleville, Bloomington, Centralia, Champaign, Danville, Decatur, East St. Louis, Effingham, Gillespie, LaSalle, Lincoln, Macomb, Marion, Maryville, Peoria, Sparta and Tuscola.
“The Lineman’s Rodeo is kind of like the Olympics for linemen,” said Ron Pate, senior vice president of Operations and Technical Services for Ameren Illinois. “It’s all about competing to the best of their abilities in a safe manner. It also gives family members an up-close look at what it takes to do this type of work on an everyday basis.”
About Ameren Illinois
Ameren Illinois delivers energy to 1.2 million electric and 816,000 natural gas customers throughout central and southern Illinois, Our service territory covers more than 1,200 communities and 43,700 square miles and our mission is to power the quality of life. For more information, visit AmerenIllinois.com. Follow us on Twitter @AmerenIllinois and Facebook.
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