Cooperative Living May 2014 - 4

VIEWPOINT by Richard G. Johnstone Jr., Executive Editor
Vol. 68, No. 5
ISSN 1529-4579
RICHARD G. JOHNSTONE JR.
Executive Editor
BILL SHERROD
Editor
LAURA J. EMERY
Field Editor
JANET ROGERS BAILEY
Production Manager
LAURIE MILLS,
Apple Eye Studio, LLC
Graphic Designer
AMANDA S. CUNNINGHAM
Advertising Sales
SUSAN C. GLISSON
Advertising Assistant
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Phone: (804) 346-3344
Or at any time:
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Email: bsherrod@odec.com
Web: www.co-opliving.com
Published by the VA, MD & DE Association
of Electric Cooperatives
OLIN S. DAVIS III
Chairman
LARRY C. HOWDYSHELL
Vice Chairman
JAMES E. HUFFMAN
Secretary
HERBERT R. PATRICK
Treasurer
JACKSON E. REASOR
President
RICHARD G. JOHNSTONE JR.
Executive Vice President
Board of Directors: R. Wayne Browning, R. Dodd Obenshain,
A&N; Michael Sandridge, Michael J. Keyser,
BARC; George N. Goin, Jr., Gary E. Wood, Central Virginia;
Olin S. Davis III, Michael I. Wheatley, Choptank;
Jeannette S. Everett, Steven A. Harmon, Community;
James E. Huffman, Shawn C. Hildebrand, Craig-Botetourt;
Patricia S. Dorey, J. William Andrew, Delaware;
Fletcher B. Jones, John C. Lee, Jr., Mecklenburg;
J. Steve Thomas, Sr., Greg W. White, Northern Neck;
J. Manley Garber, Stan C. Feuerberg, Northern Virginia;
Dale McNiel, Randell W. Meyers, Powell Valley;
Herbert R. Patrick, M Dale Bradshaw, Prince George;
Richard C. Oliver, Kent D. Farmer, Rappahannock;
Larry C. Howdyshell, Myron D. Rummel, Shenandoah
Valley; Frank W. Bacon, Jeffrey S. Edwards, Southside.
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2
THEHANDIWORK OFHEROES
Electric utility lineworkers are everyday heroes who brave harsh weather
and danger so we don't have to endure either. So it was fitting that a lineman
rodeo last month near Richmond gave over 120 lineworkers the chance to
showcase their skills while family, friends and coworkers cheered them on.
To thank these unsung
n the misplaced idol worship of youth, as a boy
in the '60s my heroes tended toward professional
athletes. Carl Yastrzemski. Bill Russell. Roman
Gabriel. All good guys, all outstanding athletes, all
paid well by the standards of the time, though hugely
underpaid in the absurd salary stratosphere of 21stcentury
professional sports.
In a world with only three major networks, you
would keep up with your favorite athletes by watching
them occasionally on TV, and by reading about
them in newspapers and magazines. And in a world
predating the constantly swirling searchlight of hungry
media, the foibles and follies of athletes remained
largely unknown, as the trivial, mundane matters
they should be, and are.
But today, of course, every foolish comment, tart
retort, grudge or grievance, confessional moment, and
bellowing boast is covered by a 24/7 media struggling
to fill airtime. And, more and more, athletes themselves
prime the publicity pump by dispensing
gossipy tweets they pass off as relevant news. Few of
us - athlete, politician or average man or woman -
would see our reputation burnished in such a glass
house. And, of course, few do.
So a larger truth I've realized as a late-middle-aged
adult is that professional athletes should rarely be
idolized as heroes. By man, woman or child. They
have talents that we enjoy watching, of course. Those
talents make the most gifted among them celebrities.
But not heroes.
Heroism isn't about being paid - in most cases,
extremely well - to play a game that you enjoy, at
which you're skilled, and for which you receive adulation
and applause.
Heroism is instead about sacrifice. It's about
serving others, or a higher cause. It's about taking
risks, putting others first, without thought of personal
gain or glory. It's about police officers ... firefighters
... emergency responders ... schoolteachers...
volunteers ... soldiers, sailors and Marines ... and
electric utility lineworkers.
Every hour of every day of every year, there's a
utility lineworker building, maintaining or repairing
an electric line somewhere, overhead or underground.
It's difficult, dangerous work that's carried out by
tough-as-leather, smart and savvy professionals who
don't merely put their skills to the test to keep your
and my lights on; they literally put their lives on the
line every time they climb a pole or into a bucket and
ascend to a zone so dangerous that a misstep can take
a limb, or a life.
heroes, every year the regional
association of electric
cooperatives that publishes
this magazine hosts a " lineman
rodeo. " During two
days early last month, at the
12th annual Gaff-n-Go
Lineman's Rodeo north of
Richmond, over 120
lineworkers from seven states took part in their
own Super Bowl, a chance to engage in friendly
competition and test their skills in key areas. Best
of all, they got to do so as hundreds of family members,
colleagues and friends cheered them on.
Everyone there was demonstrating, celebrating
or supporting this important, dangerous craft,
which all of us undoubtedly admire, but to which
few are called to make their life's work.
Those who do answer the call are so good at
what they do that the rest of us expect our electric
service to be available 24/7/365. When it is interrupted
- usually by winter ice storms, spring
windstorms, summer thunderstorms, or fall
hurricanes - we expect our power to be restored
quickly.
So it's only fitting that these heroes - these
" wood walkers " as they sometimes call themselves
- be celebrated and showcased at events like last
month's rodeo, and thanked as often as possible.
These dedicated professionals don't ask for, or expect,
thanks, which is all the more reason to give it.
And for those attending the rodeo, few moments in
life can match the emotional power of watching a
lineman's small children gaze in awe as their father
skillfully scales a utility pole in the " hurt man "
competition, and successfully " rescues " a life-size
mannequin.
So, next time you're watching feats of athletic
prowess or nail-biting end-of-game finishes on TV,
remember that the heroes aren't on the screen.
They're behind the set, beyond the outlet, through
the wiring, on the other side of the meter.
The electricity that brings you entertainment,
information, comfort and nourishment is more
than just a flow of electrons.
It's the handiwork of heroes. 
(To view photos from this year's rodeo, go to
www.gaff-n-go.com.)
Cooperative Living/May 2014
I
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Cooperative Living May 2014

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