Alpena Community College hosted this year’s lineman rodeo, the first they’ve hosted since 2016. The competition took place outside Van Lare Hall, with scenic views of the Thunder Bay River in the background.

Teams from the State Technical College of Missouri, Metropolitan College of Omaha in Nebraska, and Mitchell Technical College in South Dakota all came to Alpena to compete.

ACC President Don MacMaster gave a brief statement to the crowd before the start of the competition, welcoming the teams and expressing his pride in the college for putting together the event.

“We had this wicked ice storm three weeks ago, and it once again reaffirmed the importance of line workers to our everyday lives, and so it’s just a perfect time to have this,” MacMaster said.

News Photo by Reagan Voetberg A student competes in the C-1 structure event on Friday at the 2025 Lineman Rodeo in Alpena.

“It’s a great day for ACC and historically a good day,” he said.

ACC Utility Technology Lead Instructor Roy Smith then took to the podium to describe the four areas of competition.

“These people competing today, most of them just started school last August, so this is not a polished journeyman lineman at this point,” Smith said. “You’re going to see some really good performances, no doubt, but remember that when it comes to being a line worker, these guys are beginners.”

Smith then explained the obstacle climb event. In this event, students climb a pole with a set of double cross arms and a single cross arm at the top. On the set of double cross arms, students move a cutout switch from one end of the cross arm to the other.

On the single cross arm, they move an insulator hanging from an eye bolt at one end of the cross arm to the other end.

News Photo by Reagan Voetberg A student works on the pole during the change-out event of the 2025 Lineman Rodeo on Friday at Alpena Community College.

In the third part of the obstacle course, students had to tie knots on a transformer at the bottom of the pole.

In the cross-arm change-out event, students climbed up a pole with a single cross arm at the top. Competitors had to remove the cross arm, lower it on a rope to a teammate on the ground, haul it back up again, and reinstall it on the pole.

In the third event, framing a C-1 structure, students had to build a unit consisting of a cross arm, insulators, pull top assemblies and braces, and other parts. They then installed the unit on a pole lying in a pole jack. Once the unit was installed, students went to the judge, who graded them on how well they built the unit and how quickly.

The fourth event is the lineman knowledge exam, where students take a written exam to test their book knowledge.

Teams, which consist of four people each, have the chance to earn a first through third place trophy in each event. Individuals also have the chance to earn trophies for their performances.

News Photo by Reagan Voetberg A student competes in the C-1 structure event on Friday at the 2025 Lineman Rodeo in Alpena.

The Missouri school brought two teams, the Nebraska school brought three teams, the South Dakota school brought two teams, and ACC had five teams, for a total of 12 teams in the competition.

A student on a team from ACC said he felt confident about his abilities on the obstacle course.

The other students on his team also expressed confidence about putting their skills to the test.

After the national anthem, the competition commenced. Professional linemen from across the state judged the competitors. The judges, wearing orange vests, were stationed at each pole.

The competition lasted from about 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The judges tabulated the scores and revealed the winners Friday evening.

News Photo by Reagan Voetberg A student works on the pole during the change-out event of the 2025 Lineman Rodeo on Friday at Alpena Community College.

News Photo by Reagan Voetberg Linemen warm up before the 2025 Lineman Rodeo in Alpena on Friday.