LASSOING THE LINES Electric co-op lineworkers show off safety skills at annual rodeo by Paul Newton | pnewton@ruralmissouri.coop photos by Angie Jones-Wheeler, Jim McCarty and Paul Newton O ne lineworker carefully climbs a 40-foot pole to safely " rescue " a life-sized mannequin - playing the part of an incapacitated coworker - dangling from the top of the pole. A few hundred feet away, another lineworker uses a steady hand to maneuver a bucket around a digger derrick obstacle course. Close by, other lineworkers show off their skills climbing the poles to do their jobs. Down the hill journeyman lineworkers try to handle a tennis ball with an excavator to showcase their precision. It's not all fun and games however. This rodeo 8 RURAL MISSOURI | NOVEMBER 2023 has one specific purpose in mind: safety. Lineworkers from Missouri's electric cooperatives gathered to compete in a safety-focused event and raise money for the Missouri International Program, which electrifies remote villages around the globe for the first time. The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives (AMEC) hosted its 6th Annual Lineman's Rodeo at its training facility in Jefferson City on Sept. 20-21. The rodeo gave the lineworkers an opportunity to practice their safety skills and knowledge in a fun and competitive environment. " The most important thing we do day in and day out is help train Missouri's linemen to work safely so they can go home to their families every single night, " says AMEC's