Line personnel from the City of Breese participated in the annual Lineman’s Safety Rodeo coordinated by the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC) on Thursday, Sept. 24. Twenty-two teams from 15 electric co-ops, two municipal electric utilities and four line school students participated in the friendly competition. Five competed individually. The event was held at the LLCC Line School yard in Springfield.
City of Breese personnel Zane Schrage, Cole Timmerman and Jordan Vonderhaar competed as a team. They competed against teams from across Illinois in events using skills that focus on agility, speed and accuracy. While these skills are part of the judging criteria, above all, participants are judged on safe work practices.
Line personnel competed in an egg climb, a cutout change, an H-structure crossover, the hurt man rescue and a transition climbing challenge.
Scores for each event are based on completion time, proper execution of the task and safety. Deductions were made to a team or individual’s overall performance score due to mistakes such as slipping when climbing poles, dropping tools or executing inappropriate procedures or methods.
At the end of the day, the City of Breese team placed second in the team egg climb and third in the team hurt man rescue. Congratulations to our lineworkers on their efforts!
Photo links: AIE_2026_Rodeo – AIECphoto
Teams and awards: ICL_2026_Rodeo-Awards-Groups – AIECphoto