Page 10 - TNPW Jan-Feb2018 Vol35 No6

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS By Molly Gilbert

Equipment Rodeo

The Equipment Rodeo, a signature this, it was great that the Local TV Channels 6 and 8
event for the Annual Conference, is an several vendors brought in interviewed Bo Mills about the event.
opportunity for skilled employees to their equipment,” City of equipment can operate slightly differently
showcase their finesse with the machinery. Knoxville Public Service than what they may be accustomed to
It’s deceptive to watch how the Tennessee Director Chad Weth said. using. Operators were tested on skill, as
Public Works professionals make running “This really levels the well as time. For example, with the Garbage
those giant machines look so easy. The playing field for all competitors. As the Cart Loader event, competitors proceeded
average person doesn’t realize how host City, it does remove your home field to the first trash cart, set the parking
powerful those machines are. It’s not advantage, but it is the fairest way to host brake and picked up the cart, completely
like driving a car, where the controls are the competition.” dumping it before returning the cart to
pretty much all in the same place. Each the target area. After two more stops, the
brand and model of heavy machinery is The Equipment Rodeo featured truck returned to the starting line position.
different. Not every city owns enough competitions with the skid steer, Points were lost for not fully emptying the
equipment for their daily tasks to have knuckleboom, Gradall excavator, wheel cart, hitting cones along the course, and
participants in each event category. loader, backhoe and auto refuse truck. Just not returning each cart to the target area. If
Owning enough equipment to host the for fun, Knoxville featured two new events an operator emptied and returned all three
statewide competition has always been this year: the Lawnmower Race and the carts perfectly, another competitor could
a challenge for cities hosting the Annual Throwball Competition. The lawnmower still move ahead with a faster time. Awards
Conference. drivers took corners and zipped around a were given to the top three winners in
hay bale maze. “It’s a good opportunity for each category and to the top three overall
For the first time in years, there was no our maintenance crew to participate,” Weth winners; the city with the most winners
host-city-advantage. The Rodeo equipment said. The Throwball competition tested also received special recognition.
did not belong to the City of Knoxville, strength, plus eye hand coordination. It was
but rather was borrowed from Stowers harder than it looked.
Machinery Corporation, Stringfellow, Inc.,
and CMI Equipment Sales, Inc. Participants were able to practice on
the machinery in the morning, before
“While we were not the first City to do the mid-day competition, as some of the

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

In the OVERALL COMPETITION, first place went to Mike Ribaudo, Nashville; In the SKID STEER COMPETITION, first place went to Kevin White, Chattanooga;
second place went to Kevin White, Chattanooga; and third place to Allen second place went to Jim Merriman, Alcoa; and third place to Isaac Ogle,
Wedman, Chattanooga. Knoxville.

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

In the BACKHOE COMPETITION first place went to Allen Wedman, Chattanooga; In the WHEELLOADER COMPETITION, first place went to Terry Prater, Knoxville;
second place went to Jacob Kagley, Maryville; and third place to Justin Wilburn, second place went to Robert Morgan, Germantown; third place to Robert Tinker,
Collierville. Johnson City.

10 TPW January/February 2018