Lineworkers and their loved ones came from all over the world to celebrate the line trade at the 40th anniversary of the International Lineman's Rodeo. While the competition is always the Super Bowl of the line trade, participants can enjoy several days of camaraderie and networking before the competition even begins on the Rodeo grounds.

Every December, T&D World celebrates this event not only online and in social media, but also in its December print issue. This year, we featured one article on the winners, which we recently narrated for our ICYMI series for this episode, and another article exploring the events of Rodeo Week from the Safety and Training Conference to the Trade Night. Listen to this audio story to hear about how lineworkers learned to stay safe during the one-and-a-half-day conference, explored tools and technologies at the Lineman's Expo and swapped shirts and stories during Trade Night.

Also, stay tuned to the Line Life Podcast to listen to future episodes featuring interviews from the trade show floor in the T&D World booth with special guests in the line trade. If you want to be on a future episode, email us at linelifepodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you.

As we continue airing new Faces of the Future podcast episodes in 2025, we are kicking off the New Year with an episode highlighting Lexie Bryant, apprentice lineworker for Omaha Public Power District (OPPD). Five years ago, she won the International Lineman's Rodeo Association's Jim Hamilton Scholarship, which was sponsored by Pacific Gas & Electric.

Today, she works as an apprentice lineworker for OPPD, and she is learning the skills of the line trade. During the interview, she shares how her career plans changed from pursuing a career as a lawyer to a lineworker, and how being in the line trade was the best decision she's ever made. To learn more about Lexie, look for her profile in the February 2025 print issue of T&D World magazine and on our website.

If you have an apprentice lineworker you'd like to nominate for a future department and podcast episode, please email us at linelifepodcast@gmail.com. We'd love to hear from you.

The International Lineman's Rodeo celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2024 with more than 1,000 competitors. Listen to the narrated version of the article, "2024 Lineman's Rodeo Roundup" from the December 2024 print issue of T&D World magazine to hear all about the winners of the events across the apprentice and journeyman divisions. Congratulations to all the competitors, especially those who crossed the awards stage at the annual banquet.

In addition to providing an overview of the events at the 2024 competition, this episode includes a special shout-out to lineworkers with musical excerpts from Blane Howard, a Nashville independent recording artist, singer and songwriter. He kicked off the International Lineman's Rodeo awards banquet by singing parodies of famous country songs with lyrics focused on the hard-working line trade. To see the video of his performance, visit our YouTube channel for the Line Life Podcast.

Lineworkers and your families, we look forward to seeing you at the 2025 International Lineman's Rodeo Week from Oct. 15-18, 2025. Learn more by visiting the website.