CONWAY, SC (WMBF) — The South Carolina Lineman Rodeo is back in Conway for the second year in a row.

People from all over the state come to show off their skills, but the event adds a new wrinkle this year.

Students from local colleges will be able to participate for the first time.

Competitions for new and veteran linemen will include a “Hartman Rescue” where climbers must scale a 40-foot pole to rescue a simulated injured worker.

“It’s a great opportunity for us, we’re all hungry for a job. We are all looking to find jobs in the utility industry,” said Donald Jackson, a student at Horry-Georgetown Technical College.

Jackson also said he was looking forward to taking on the competition.

“The adrenaline you get from climbing the pole. You’re up there. It’s good. I like the work outside,” he said.

Jackson took several months of classroom learning and preparation for the event, and admitted it was daunting at first.

That didn’t stop him though.

“You kind of overcome those fears and get used to the movement and the climbing and trusting your gear more and staying safe,” Jackson said.

What drives him to climb those power poles is to help the community in the event of a natural disaster.

“You are there to help people,” he said. “It’s a great career to undertake and [there’s] certainly job security in this field. When people’s power dies out, they don’t understand the whole context to sustain that power,” Jackson said.

The rodeo also offers him and others the opportunity to connect with multiple people in the field.

Nick Adams, director of regulatory compliance at The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina, said this is an opportunity to fill some of the vacancies in the field soon.

“It’s something we’ve seen as a co-op,” he said. “It could potentially benefit tech students and the entire state in terms of the hiring process. we are currently seeing a lot of turnover, we have seen new people arrive with this new job.

The rodeo runs until Saturday, starting at 8 a.m. It is also open to the public, located at 2774 Cultra Road in Conway.

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