With the rollout of the COVID vaccines, infection rates decreasing and now the State of Texas opening up 100%, it was looking like the light at the end of the tunnel could be seen and the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo might get the green light to happen this year. That light, however, was quickly extinguished by the mid-February arrival of statewide snow, ice, and frigid artic temperatures and the fallout which has resulted from this brutal winter storm.

It is with a heavy heart that the TLRA Board of Directors has voted to cancel plans for the 2021 Texas Lineman’s Rodeo. Between the seemingly “never ending” COVID pandemic and now the Texas deep freeze, tough decisions have to be made by every electric utility Board, CEO, and staff on how to navigate the challenges we are all facing today. Last year, companies were forced to adjust their budgets to accommodate the changes the pandemic forced us to make and additional considerations had to be made to protect their workforce from contracting or spreading the COVID virus. It looks like in 2021 the trend will continue, at least for a while. Now we face a new and even greater challenge. The recent deep freeze and ERCOT Energy Emergency Alert (EEA) has created an obstacle in the form of an extreme financial crisis for our Texas electric utilities. The 2021 “deep freeze” has put almost all companies in a really tough spot with the cost of generation skyrocketing for days on end. In addition to the high cost of generation, electric utility companies spent the last few weeks following their emergency operations plans and responding to trouble calls, rolling outages, and all of the issues which arose as a result of this unprecedented winter storm.

Despite the obstacles presented by the COVID pandemic and the deep freeze, our tough Texas Linemen stepped up and braved the cold, freezing rain, snow, and sleet to do what they do best--keeping the lines up, power flowing, and the lights on for the nearly 29 million Texans. Assisting the linemen were the countless customer service representatives who answered the phones, the IT staff who made sure the network stayed solid, the accounting and HR personnel, the engineering and control center dispatchers, the substation and communications technicians, the transportation and facilities teams, and all other employees and staff who worked tirelessly to ensure that the linemen could do their job—restoring power. All of you are truly HEREOS in every sense of the word!

THANK YOU to all for the job you did and the job you continue to do. We appreciate your dedication and commitment to serving others while sacrificing time with your families when Mother Nature throws her worst at the great State of Texas. Please continue to work safe and stay safe in 2021. We hope the light at the end of the tunnel will be shining brightly by the dawn of 2022, and we will see all of you at the 2022 Texas Lineman’s Rodeo.

May God Bless each and everyone of you and your families.

The TLRA Board of Directors

The sponsorships that have already been received will be reimbursed, unless the sponsoring entity would like to apply it to the 2022 Rodeo sponsorship. Any team registration entry fees will be reimbursed to the registered team’s respective company.

If you have not been contacted about the sponsorships or registration fees, please contact Darin Koehler at dkoehler@tlra.org or Susan Wilson at swilson@tlra.org

This is Texas; it is our tenacity to overcome every challenge and nobody does it better than a Texas Lineman.

May God Bless and keep you Safe and Healthy.

TLRA Board of Directors

Below is a list of our Corporate Sponsors. Without these sponsors, we would not be able to have the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo each year. Please take a moment to thank these sponsors whenever you see them at your company or at the Rodeo.

Should you have any questions related to the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo, please contact one of our Board of Directors or a member of our Advisory Board. We do our best to make your experience at the Texas Lineman’s Rodeo a positive one. If you have any questions related to the documents located on this website or the website itself, please contact the Webmaster.

revised 3/10/21