Belco linemen tested their mettle as the energy provider brought back its Lineman Rodeo competition.

Competitors tackled a series of challenges with the aim of sharpening their skills in advance of the Carilec Lineworkers Rodeo in Dominica, where they will take on linemen from across the region next month.

Shelly Leman, a managing director at Belco, said: “Really what we are doing is putting on a showcase of the skills our linemen undertake on an everyday basis.”

The four competitions included a hurt man rescue, challenging competitors to quickly and safely recover a dummy hung at the top of a utility pole.

That was followed by the pole speed climb in which they were required to replace a small basket at the top of the pole and climb back down — with an uncooked egg in their mouth.

Ms Leman said that while the egg is not a regular part of a lineman’s work, its role in the contest was important.

She said: “We want to make sure that they are not sliding down and are climbing properly and smoothly.”

The competition also included a grounding contest in which the competitors installed grounds on a single-phase system, and a fuse link replacement contest.

Ms Leman said: “It’s really about demonstrating what our apprentices have learnt over the last couple of years.

“These guys have been studying abroad. We had the fourth and fifth year apprentices studying in Britain and our second year, who went over to Southeast Lineman College in Georgia, in the US.”

Ms Leman said that Belco had not hosted a Lineman Rodeo ― or competed in the Carilec event ― for several years, but the team were eager to get back into the competition.

She said: “These guys are getting ready and practising to showcase what we have to offer in Bermuda.

“We haven’t done it in several years. It has been a long time. We had Covid-19 pandemic and we had a number of other things.

“Now, they are at a place where they are ready to represent Belco and Bermuda.”