Cooperative Living March/April 2018 - 4

Viewpoint | by Richard G. Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor
Vol. 72, No. 4
ISSN 1529-4579
RICHARD G. JOHNSTONE JR.
Executive Editor
BILL SHERROD
Editor
LAURA EMERY
Field Editor
JANET BAILEY
Production Manager
TOMMY CAMPBELL
Design & E-Media Coordinator
AMANDA S. CUNNINGHAM
Advertising Sales
MARY HOWELL
Communications & P.R. Coordinator
NINA JACOBS
Administrative Coordinator
To contact magazine:
9 a.m.-5 p.m. M-F
Phone: (804) 346-3344
Or at any time:
Fax: (804) 346-3448
Email: bsherrod@vmdaec.com
Web: www.co-opliving.com
Published by the VA, MD & DE Association
of Electric Cooperatives
JAMES E. HUFFMAN
Chairman
HERBERT R. PATRICK
Vice Chairman
FLETCHER B. JONES
Secretary/Treasurer
RICHARD G. JOHNSTONE JR.
President & CEO
Board of Directors: R. Wayne Browning, Belvin Williamson, Jr.,
A&N; C. Michael Sandridge, Michael J. Keyser, BARC; George N.
Goin, Gary E. Wood, Central Virginia; Robert E. Arnold, Michael
I. Wheatley, Choptank; Jeannette S. Everett, Steven A. Harmon,
Community; James E. Huffman, Shawn C. Hildebrand, CraigBotetourt;
Patricia S. Dorey, J. William Andrew, Delaware;
Fletcher B. Jones, John C. Lee, Jr., Mecklenburg; Russell G.
Brown, Greg W. White, Northern Neck; Wade C. House, Stan C.
Feuerberg, Northern Virginia; Dale McNiel, Randell W. Meyers,
Powell Valley; Herbert R. Patrick, Micheal E. Malandro, Prince
George; Linda R. Gray, Kent D. Farmer, Rappahannock; Larry C.
Howdyshell, Michael W. Hastings, Shenandoah Valley; Frank W.
Bacon, Jeffrey S. Edwards, Southside.
To advertise in Cooperative Living, contact:
Amanda Cunningham (804) 290-2184
National Advertising Representative: AMP,
611 South Congress Ave., Suite 504,
Austin, Texas 78704 * 800-626-1181
Member of AMP network of
publications, reaching more than
9 million homes and businesses.
PRESSRUN . . . . . . . . . 524,666
COOPERATIVE LIVING (USPS 473-300) is
published 10 times a year, monthly except for
combined March/April and November/ December
issues, by the Va., Md. & Del. Association of Electric
Cooperatives. POSTMASTER, address changes
should be sent to: Cooperative Living, 4201
Dominion Boulevard, Suite 101, Glen Allen, VA
23060, (804) 346-3344. Periodicals Postage paid at
Glen Allen, VA, and additional mailing offices.
Subscription: $4.99 per year for members of
subscribing co-ops; $10 per year for all others.
ADVERTISING published is accepted on the
premise that the merchandise and services offered
are accurately described and willingly sold to
customers at the advertised price. Neither this
magazine nor the electric cooperatives in Virginia,
Maryland, and Delaware endorses any products or
services advertised herein. If any readers encounter
non-compliance with these standards, they are
asked to inform the Editor.
Get-up-n-Go to
the Gaff-n-Go!
In early May, you can watch over 150 lineworkers eager to demonstrate
their climbing, rescuing, power-restoring skills at the largest rodeo in the
East for the pros who keep the lights on.
I
n the idol worship of youth in the '60s, my
heroes tended toward professional athletes.
This, of course, was a more innocent time,
or perhaps merely a time when the citizenry was
less-informed about the sins and shortcomings
of athletes ... actors ... and elected officials.
Technology, of course, has changed all of
that. Nowadays we're bathed in an unrelenting
shower of tweets and texts on " smart " phones
that ping us with the latest gossipy revelations,
nasty kerfuffles or confessional moments from
today's countless public figures. Sigh.
Few would see their reputation burnished
in such a glass house.
And few do.
Now in my 60s, I wonder:
Were my boyhood heroes really
heroes, or merely the
beneficiaries of an
accommodating press and
few spotlights to probe
the dark corners of their
off-field lives? Either way,
pro athletes should
rarely be idolized as
heroes. Talented performers? Determined
competitors? Absolutely. But not heroes.
After all, athletes are playing a game they
enjoy, at which they're skilled and for which
they receive hearty helpings of both adulation
and compensation. Such undertakings are
surely entertaining. But not heroic.
Heroism is about sacrifice. About serving
others, or a higher cause. About taking risks
and putting others first, without thought of
personal gain or glory. Its ranks are elite,
populated with police officers ... firefighters ...
emergency responders ... schoolteachers ...
volunteers ... soldiers, sailors and Marines ...
and electric utility lineworkers.
Every hour, day and year, utility lineworkers
are building, maintaining or repairing an electric
line somewhere, overhead or underground.
It's a calling that's difficult to learn and
dangerous to do.
These smart, sure pros put their skills to the
test every day. They also put their lives on the
line every time they climb a pole or into a
2
bucket, and ascend to a zone so dangerous that
a misstep can take a limb, or a life.
To celebrate their work, and thank them for
their sacrifices, the Electric Cooperatives of
Virginia, Maryland and Delaware host an annual
" lineman rodeo, " now in its 16th year. Called
the " Gaff-n-Go Lineman's Rodeo, " this year's
events will be held on Friday, May 11, and
Saturday, May 12, at Meadow Event Park
just north of Richmond off I-95, at the Doswell
exit. (The gaff is the metal spike that's hooked
onto the side of a lineworker's boots, enabling
the climb up a wooden pole, which is why
some lineworkers call themselves
" wood walkers. " )
During two days of spirited
competition, over 150 lineworkers
from utilities in states up and
down the East Coast and beyond
will gather to test their
skills against the best of
the best. These dedicated
professionals don't ask
for, or expect, thanks
for putting their lives
on the line to keep the lights on. Which is all
the more reason to give it.
And it's also why it's so gratifying to watch
these lineworkers, who normally toil only with
crewmates, basking in a blessed shower of
applause, as colleagues, family members and
friends cheer them on during timed tests
of their skill.
As moving as it is watching an appreciative
crowd, a moment even more powerful and
memorable comes when a lineman's small child
gazes upward, in awe, as Dad skillfully scales a
utility pole, and successfully rescues a " hurt man, "
in this case a life-size mannequin.
We encourage you to attend this year's
Gaff-n-Go Lineman's Rodeo. You can access
all of the details at www.gaff-n-go.com.
And the next time you flip a light switch in
your home or business, remember: The electricity
that brings you entertainment, information,
comfort and nourishment is more than just a flow
of electrons. It's the handiwork of heroes that you
can watch on May 11-12 as they " gaff-n-go " ! 
www.co-opliving.com
http://www.co-opliving.com http://www.gaff-n-go.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living March/April 2018

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living March/April 2018
