OCALA, FL (352today.com) – After working through the aftermath of Florida’s destructive hurricanes and risking his life to restore power across the state, apprentice lineman Corey Sill has found purpose and pride in his demanding career. Even though the job is tough and sometimes dangerous, he found something he’s really good at – and now he’s using those skills to compete among the best in his field.

Sill’s passion for his occupation is evident from his admission into the Florida Lineman’s Rodeo competition earlier this year.

The rodeo, which pins linemen against each other for a day of competition, consists of challenges that linemen face daily, with a bit of a twist. For the rodeo, speed and finesse play a significant part in winning.

“Speed is not ever a priority… relativity to time and safety is,” he says. “The rodeo is kind of your chance to show speed.”

The first challenge required linemen to change a transformer lead. Sill explained the process as opening the back door of a transformer, lowering it with a telescopic stick, climbing up, and changing the lead. “The easy part is changing the lead… but the prep is definitely the hardest part. They didn’t give us much information about the tools or anything we were required to use. I would say getting prepared for that one was maybe the most intimidating part.”

Corey Sill extends telescopic stick at Florida Lineman's Rodeo.
Corey Sill extends telescopic stick at Florida Lineman’s Rodeo. Courtesy: Duke Energy

Sill says that preparing to change a transformer lead felt intimidating, but the 50-question written exam, finished in under 15 minutes, was hardly a challenge.

During Sill’s first rodeo competition last year, he scored an 88% on the test. This year, he improved his score to 95%.

“I felt really good about the test… as soon as I walked away from it, I was like, ‘I just smoked that test,’” he says. “I actually told one of my buddies that I felt like I’d only missed five questions, and it turns out that’s what it was.”

Sill then described the egg climb, which required him to ascend a pole with the rope of a small bag in his mouth, with an egg nestled in the bottom of the bag. 

“There’s already a bag hanging at the top of the pole, so what I had to do was take that one off, drop it on the ground inside of a circle, take the egg out of my bag, put the egg in my mouth, then hang the bag on top of the pole and climb back down.”

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Sill jokes about how having a “runny nose” would make the challenge nearly impossible.

Following the egg climb was the final challenge, the “hurt man” rescue, which tasks linemen to climb up and rescue a dummy tied off to a climbing belt, simulating an injured worker.

The linemen had to complete the mission without the use of tools or climbing gear.

“You gotta get dressed, climb up to the dummy, then take the rope, tie it around him in a specific way, and rescue the worker as quickly as possible,” says Sill, who takes inspiration from the journeymen who can rapidly complete the task.

“If you look up videos online, you’ll see some of these guys completing the entire task in 45 seconds, which is absurd,” he says.

At the end of the competition, with the scores tallied up from the challenges, the winners were all lineworkers who supported response and restoration efforts following hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton, and Sill finished first overall among apprentice linemen.

Corey attempts the egg climb at the Florida Lineman's Rodeo.
Corey Sill attempts the egg climb at the Florida Lineman’s Rodeo. Courtesy: Duke Energy

“It feels really good to win the award,” he says. “It was a little surprising at first, but you get what you put into it.”

He will compete alongside fellow regional rodeo winners from the Carolinas, Florida, and the Midwest at the International Lineman’s Rodeo in Bonner Springs, Kansas, on Oct. 18, 2025.

Sill says that although the taste of victory would be sweet, the experience is sweeter.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and of course, everyone wants to win, but I just want to go there, do my best, and see what happens,” he says.

As for his occupation, Sill looks to work towards becoming a journeyman soon, following his apprenticeship.

“This work isn’t for everybody… this job is a lifestyle. Not everyone can come here, do time, and become a journeyman,” he says. “You have to prove your skill and eagerness… you have to prove that you can learn fast and make good decisions.”

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