News

Mountain lineworkers win at international competition

By Lightning Reports, Published: October 23, 2025

Duke Energy lineworkers from the mountains took home several awards recently after demonstrating their skills during an international competition in Kansas.

About 1,200 lineworkers from around the world competed in the International Lineman’s Rodeo on Oct. 18 in Bonner, Kan. Duke Energy sent 78 competitors who had won top honors at a regional rodeo earlier in the year, according to a press release from the company.
The Duke Energy teams that included lineworkers from Western North Carolina placed in several events during the competition.
In the Journeyman Mystery Event No.1 competition, a team made up of Hendersonville lineworkers Jordan Henderson and Heath Burrell and Miles Bell of Tryon won fourth place.
The team also won second place in the Journeyman Investor-Owned Utility event and fourth place in the Journeyman Overall competition.
Other winners from the mountains included a team made up of Marion lineworkers Tyler Nickols and Joshua Buckner and Tyler Manick of Old Fort.
They won first place in the Journeyman Mystery Event No. 2 competition and first place in the Journeyman Investor-Owned utility event.
Nickols, Buckner and Manick also won third place in the Journeyman Overall competition.
The power company described lineworkers as the backbone of the electric grid.
They help deliver reliable service year-round, respond after storms or other extreme weather events and work on vital projects to better serve customers and communities. Lineworkers also install newer technologies on the grid such as smart, self-healing technology, which detects a power outage and reroutes power – often restoring service in under a minute.