With tool belts clinking and boots crunching across gravel, linemen from across West Texas gathered on June 27 at Xcel Energy’s Don Taylor Rodeo Grounds to compete in the 32nd annual Lone Star Lineman’s Rodeo — a high-stakes showcase of physical skill, electrical knowledge and unshakable teamwork.
Held behind Xcel’s Amarillo Technical Center at 7801 E. I-40, the rodeo featured journeymen and apprentices navigating realistic, high-wire challenges that simulate the hazards they face daily keeping power flowing in homes and businesses.
“This isn’t about being fast — it’s about being smooth, smart and safe,” said Danny Marquez, a lineman from Littlefield who’s been competing since the mid-1990s. Marquez has been part of teams that placed as high as second in the world and has walked the podium multiple times with top-five finishes at international rodeos.
“Speed can get you hurt,” he added. “The best guys are thinking two steps ahead — for themselves and their team. If one person doesn’t know their role, you’re putting lives at risk.”
Among the featured events was the Hurt-Man Rescue, a test in which linemen must scale a utility pole and safely lower a 165-pound dummy simulating an injured coworker. The Pole Climb and Raw Egg challenge pushed competitors to climb with an egg in a bucket, place it in their mouth, knock down another bucket, and return to the ground — all without cracking the egg.
“Events like this push you,” Marquez said. “Even if you’ve done this job for 20 years, there’s still something to learn. And if you’re one of the older guys like me, you don’t try to outrun the younger ones — you outthink them. Be smoother. Be smarter. That’s how you win.”
Journeyman teams consisted of two climbers and a groundman, with scoring based on safety, technique and precision. Apprentices competed individually in five events, including a written test and two mystery challenges designed to test adaptability and technical knowledge.
“These aren’t just staged stunts — they reflect real work in the field,” said Cory Wood, Xcel Energy’s regional vice president of transmission operations. “The rodeo reinforces what we emphasize every day: accountability, preparedness and teamwork under pressure.”
Wood said the event isn’t only about competition. It’s also a valuable opportunity for linemen to share best practices across regions and generations, while also bringing their families into a deeper understanding of the work.
“We want their kids, spouses and parents to see what they do and why it matters,” Wood said. “That way, when a lineman says, ‘I’ve got to go — there’s a call,’ they know exactly what’s at stake.”
As the sun dipped low over the Amarillo plains, families watched climbers descend their final poles of the evening — the cheers not just for precision and points, but for the pride in a job done right.
For Marquez, it’s never just been about buckles or rankings.
“This isn’t a young man’s game or an old man’s game,” he said. “It’s a lineman’s game. You show up, you train hard, and you’ve got to trust the person beside you. Because when it really matters — in a storm, on a live wire — that trust is everything.”
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Lineman’s rodeo tests skill, safety and teamwork in Amarillo
Reporting by Michael Cuviello, Amarillo Globe-News / Amarillo Globe-News
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
