Clarence “Trey” Elley III, left, prepares to climb a utility pole as CPS lineworkers practice their skills last year in preparation for competing in America’s Public Power’s Lineworkers Rodeo. The application deadline for apply for one of the spots on the CPS Board of Trustees approaches.

On a recent morning, CPS Energy worker Kevin Beavers hurriedly scrambled up a 45-foot utility pole, methodically jabbing his climbing spikes into the wood with such speed and force that splinters could be seen flying into the air.

An apprentice line worker, Beavers was practicing for a weekend competition known as the Lineworkers Rodeo, which includes such esoteric events as cutout fuse replacement, hurt man rescue, insulator change-out, oil circuit recloser replacement and tie.

It’s a chance to not only test abilities against other workers from across the nation; the weekly practice serves to sharpen the skills necessary to quickly restore electricity or save a fellow worker’s life.

After months of practice, CPS Energy workers said, they just get into a zone. They said that once they hear the judge yell, “Climber ready! On your go,” they get tunnel vision and everything else falls away. Just like a day at work, the only thing they can see is the job at hand.

Sitting on the edge of tailgates, Beavers’ co-workers cheered him on as he scaled the splintered column at the CPS Energy rodeo practice grounds at 4919 E. Houston St.

“Come on man, come on!”

Midway up the post, Beavers leaned back on his safety belt and used a long bar to unlatch three cutout fuses, which he hurriedly replaced with new ones.

“It’s a chance to test and compare our skills at competitions,” said Beavers, 29. “There’s a lot of pride in it. Not a lot of people do what we do. It’s good to see other men and women who do what you do.”

On Saturday, CPS Energy will host American Public Power Association’s Lineworkers Rodeo, where workers from the San Antonio utility will join 78 teams from 25 states in timed matches. Organizers estimated that the upcoming APPA rodeo, the second hosted by CPS Energy, will be the largest to date. More than 100 volunteers and CPS Energy retirees will help run the event.

The public is invited to the free event, which takes place at the CPS Energy Tuttle Training Center, 9911 Perrin Beitel Road. The opening ceremony will take place at 7:30 a.m., with the competition starting at 8 a.m.

There are a variety of events for line workers, categorized as apprentice and journeyman. An apprentice is a worker who has a three-year apprenticeship before starting work toward becoming a journeyman. A typical journeyman will have eight years or more with the company.

The rodeo is one of several events celebrating the 75th year that the city has owned the utility. Previous celebratory events have included an inaugural Future of Energy Symposium and a companywide employee breakfast celebration.

The APPA created the rodeo in 2001 as an event where line workers from across the nation and U.S. territories could compete against each other and display their mastery and skills.

Throughout the year, teams and individual workers compete in three events: the APPA rodeo, the Texas Rodeo in Seguin, and the International Lineman’s Rodeo in Kansas City. They practice once a week at the 8½-acre practice center.

The main thing they prepare for is to quickly get lights back on in a safe manner, said Kenneth Kotara, 48, one of the members of three journeyman teams.

“It’s our lifestyle. We’re doing what we love,” the 26-year journeyman said, as workers prepared a 150-pound dummy to be hoisted and then rescued. “You’ve got to have a game plan, commitment and talk amongst each other. It’s very important to have a team that works together.”

Kotara said each rodeo is a new experience. In the past, he and fellow team members have competed at both ends of the weather spectrum, from icy 17-degree temperatures in Minnesota to triple-digit heat in the Lone Star State.

Jose Trevino, director of construction and maintenance, said knowledge plays a big part in the rodeo. He stood among workers and directors at the practice grounds this week and gazed up at the line workers as they ascended high above.

“We’re ready,” Trevino said. “We’re good. We’re all ready to go.”

Vincent T. Davis started at the San Antonio Express-News in 1999 as a part-time City Desk Editorial Assistant working nights and weekends while attending San Antonio College and working on the staff of the campus newspaper, The Ranger. He completed a 3-month fellowship from the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute at Vanderbilt University in 2003 and earned his bachelors degree in communication design from Texas State University in 2006.