WASHINGTON (November 06, 2026) — The Edison Electric Institute (EEI) recently joined electric companies and lineworkers from across the country in Bonner Springs, Kansas, for the 2026 International Lineman’s Rodeo.

The annual competition celebrates the linework profession and America’s more than 100,000 men and women who build and maintain America’s energy grid. This year, over 100 electric utility companies participated in the competition, featuring 290 journeyman teams and 364 apprentices from eight countries.

The annual event is about more than competition. It’s a chance to showcase the skills behind keeping the lights on, strengthen bonds with fellow lineworkers, and celebrate a profession that often goes unnoticed until the power goes out. 

OG&E lineworker Shawn Hill, who has more than 20 years of experience, said becoming a lineworker changed his life. “Personally, it’s had a big impact on me. The people I worked for when I started had a big influence on how I am, how I see things, and how I do things. I can’t say enough good things about them.”

“We're pretty much like a family, we're around each other the majority of the time,” Hill said of his team. “We're like brothers — we fight and argue, and then you continue on. Some of the people I came up with, our kids are growing up together now.”

That sense of camaraderie is on full display at the rodeo, where teams compete in events that test their technical abilities, speed, and coordination. Events include pole climbs, equipment change-outs, and hurtman rescues, which simulate the rescue of an injured lineworker from a pole. Mystery events add another challenge, requiring competitors to adapt to an unfamiliar task and work through it as a team. Throughout the competition, safety was as important as speed, with points deducted for unsafe practices.

The International Lineman’s Rodeo is also a family event, with families gathering to cheer on competitors and share in a tradition that can span generations. 

Kimberly Cook-Nelson, Entergy’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, said the family atmosphere is one of the event’s defining features. Entergy brings teams that excelled during regional competitions across Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas to compete at the international event. 

“You’ll see moms, dads, spouses, kids, grandkids in some cases out here cheering on their families,” Cook-Nelson said. “And the energy is just amazing.”

Dale Warman, a former Kansas City Power and Light (now Evergy) lineworker, co-founded the rodeo in 1984 and serves as co-chairman of its board of directors. 

“I tell people this event is built by linemen, for linemen, and it's for the linemen all the way back,”?Warman said. “So,?we're?going to keep this thing going as long as we can, and I think today is a good example.”

Families also help sustain the rodeo’s traditions. Warman’s granddaughter, Olivia, has attended for as long as she can remember, with family members volunteering over the years to help feed lineworkers and support the event. What began as a family tradition has become a source of pride as the rodeo has grown to welcome participants from across the United States and other countries. 

Growing up around the rodeo has given her a close view of the work lineworkers do and the sacrifices that often go unnoticed.? 

“When the power goes out, we’re just annoyed because the power’s off and then it comes back on and we’re happy,” she said. “But no one thinks about who had to go out and get those lines back up and get the power back on.”  

Throughout the International Lineman’s Rodeo, EEI captured the action and celebrated the lineworkers who help keep communities across America powered. 

Visit EEI’s social channels for highlights from the competition and to hear directly from the lineworkers who make the rodeo so special:  

EEI Makes It to the 2026 International Lineman's Rodeo  

Journeyman Hurtman Rescue Coverage 

Fuse Coordination Event Coverage  

2026 International Lineman's Rodeo Recap  

Advice for Future Lineworkers