Saddle up!

ESB Networks Team competes successfully in Linesman's Rodeo, Kansas

Since 2002, ESB Networks holds the annual "Networks Challenge" in the Training Centre in Portlaoise. Each year this competition becomes more popular and competitive and gives Network Technicians the opportunity to demonstrate their skills and ability to operate at the highest level. The primary focus of the event is safety, best practice and teamwork. The winning team go forward to represent Ireland at the International Linesman's Rodeo, which is hosted by Kansas City Power and Light (KCP&L) in Kansas.

This year, the overall Networks Challenge 2005 winning team were from Finglas and comprised of Ed Ferris, Dave Flynn, Ciaran Walsh and Brendan Walsh - a second-time win for the two Walsh brothers, as they were winners of the inaugural event in 2002. They were accompanied on the trip by Dominic O'Brien, Manager, Network Projects East Distribution, Pat Crinnion, their team leader, Michael Sweeney, Human Resources and John Moran, ESB Training.

Work began in earnest for the team the morning after arrival and the following three days were spent in very intensive training. KCP&L made their training facilities at their Sub.1 Training Ground available to the team and to a UK team in preparation for the competition. The hospitality of the hosts was extremely generous and a lot of help was given to the two international teams as they prepared for the event. Relationships between KCP&L and ESB Networks has developed over the years and one of the outstanding features of this is the friendships formed between the teams, particularly with Ciaran and Brendan Walsh who have attended the event for the previous three years, in competition the first year and as judges on a voluntary basis for the last two.

The competition represented a huge challenge to the ESB Networks team who had to quickly become familiar with new environment and work techniques, such as rubber glove and hot stick working. The International Lineman's Rodeo is a big event with up to 200 teams competing and over 20,000 people travelling to Kansas for it. KCP&L hosted a BBQ on the eve of the event and this affords teams the opportunity to meet each other and exchange t-shirts relevant to their own utility and country. This year was no exception to the popularity of the Irish t-shirt and very brisk trading was evident throughout the evening and into the next.

The competition grounds in Bonnar Springs were impressive - a huge field with over 300 poles planted in straight lines waiting for the event to start. The competition itself involved four events: a speed climb, a hurtman rescue, a Dead End Insulator Replacement and an Insulator Changeout. The ESB Networks team did extremely well in all the events considering their strict adherence to our own safe working techniques, particularly their use of our own climbing equipment. This generated a huge amount of interest among the Americans and Canadians and they were still there late into the afternoon giving demonstrations of climbing iron techniques.

The team finished well up in the rankings (Top 50) and it was the best result from an ESB Networks team so far. The International Lineman's Rodeo is the biggest event of its kind in the world and it was a tremendous achievement for the ESB Networks team to compete in such a credible way at this level.