There may not have been bull riding, calf roping or steer wrestling, but a team of Duke Energy natural gas technicians based out of the company’s Kellogg Avenue Operations Center placed third overall at the 2022 National Gas Rodeo.
The winning team includes three members from Grants Lick in Campbell County.
This year’s gas rodeo participants were:
Dave Kabler – Amelia
Tim Dennemann – Grants Lick
Bruce Greer III – Anderson Township
Alex Klein – Grants Lick
Casey Woodyard (Alternate) – Grants Lick
It is the best finish for the company at the national championship since it began competing in 2009. The team also earned first place for the hand-dig event and third in the meter-set and service-install events.
Teams from energy companies nationwide competed during the Sept. 15-17 event in Springfield, Mo. This annual competition allows natural gas workers to showcase the skills they use daily and to see how they stack up against their industry peers.
“We couldn’t be prouder of this team for representing Duke Energy at the National Gas Rodeo championship,” said Brian Weisker, senior vice president and chief operations officer, natural gas, for Duke Energy. “The hours and hours of practice these men have put in were on full display during the competition, but they wouldn’t be such good competitors without the solid foundation of training and expertise they’ve received while providing safe, reliable service to Duke Energy’s customers each and every day.”
The National Gas Rodeo pits two-person and four-person teams against each other in four qualifying events, with the top teams in each category advancing to a final relay event. Qualifying events include the Service Installation, the Meter Set, the Hand Dig and the Pipe Cut. In the final relay, teams that advance to this event race to safely complete a series of tasks in the fastest time possible.
The rodeo tests job-related skills, builds leadership, and boosts morale. Competitors are judged on speed, agility, technique and, most importantly, attention to safety.
All Duke Energy Natural Gas participants in the National Gas Rodeo earned their spots by competing at an internal competition earlier this year.
