Page 10 - Jan-Feb2019
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CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS                       By Klair Kimmey
Equipment Rodeo

  The Equipment Rodeo, a signature          drivers traveled on a short                   emptied and returned all three carts
event for the Annual Conference, is an      oval course with two narrow                   perfectly, another competitor could still
opportunity for skilled employees to        ramps while being timed. The                  move ahead with a faster time. Awards
showcase their finesse with the machinery.  winner was Cody Jones with                    were given to the top three winners in
It’s deceptive to watch how the Tennessee   Metro Nashville. The Cornhole                 each category and to the top three overall
Public Works professionals make running     tournament champions were                     winners; the city with the most winners
those giant machines look so easy. The      Steve Frost and William                       also received special recognition.
average person doesn’t realize how          Taylor, both with Metro
powerful those machines are. It’s not       Nashville.
like driving a car, where the controls are
pretty much all in the same place. Each       Rodeo participants were able
brand and model of heavy machinery is       to practice on the machinery
different. Not every city owns enough       in the morning, before
equipment for their daily tasks to have     the mid-day competition.
participants in each event category.        Operators were tested on skill,
Owning enough equipment to host the         as well as time. For example,
statewide competition has always been       with the Auto Refuse Truck
a challenge for cities hosting the Annual   event, competitors proceeded
Conference.                                 to the first trash cart, set the
                                            parking brake and picked up
  The Equipment Rodeo featured              the cart, completely dumping it before
competitions with the skid steer, backhoe,  returning the cart to the target area. After
knuckleboom, Gradall, wheel loader and      two more stops, the truck returned to the
auto refuse truck. Just for fun, Nashville  starting line position. Points were lost
featured two additional activities this     for not fully emptying the cart, hitting
year: the Bird scooter course and the       cones along the course, and not returning
Cornhole competition. The Bird scooter      each cart to the target area. If an operator

 1st	 2nd	3rd                                                                    1st	 2nd	3rd

In the OVERALL COMPETITION, first place went to Cody Baker, Metro Nashville;    In the SKID STEER COMPETITION, first place went to Jim Merriman, Alcoa;
second place went to Matt Moore, Clarksville; and third place to Mike Ribaudo,  second place went to Tim Merriman, Alcoa; and third place to Matt Moore,
Metro Nashville.                                                                Clarksville.

 1st	 2nd	3rd                                                                    1st	 2nd	3rd

In the BACKHOE COMPETITION first place went to Matt Moore, Clarksville; second  In the WHEELLOADER COMPETITION, first place went to Mike Ribaudo, Metro
place went to Kevin White, Chattanooga; and third place to Robert Morgan,       Nashville; second place went to Eric Greene, Metro Nashville; third place to
Germantown.                                                                     William Taylor, Metro Nashville.

   10	 TPW January/February 2019
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