MERIDIAN, Miss. - May 22, 2007 - Charlie Watson, a local apprentice lineman from Mississippi Power, left with high expectations for the 13th Annual Georgia Lineman’s Rodeo Competition last weekend and didn’t disappoint. Watson, who was among the top 10 overall competing apprentice linemen, took first place in one of the most popular events, the Hurt Man Rescue.

In the challenge, the participant climbs a 40-foot pole to rescue a mannequin hanging from the cross arm of a pole with both ends of the safety straps through the braces. Time is called when the mannequin is safely on the ground. Watson mastered the event in 56 seconds.

Watson was also a top performer in the Insulator Changeout event coming in with a time of 11 minutes and earning second place. The event was a “mystery event” so the contestants did not know what they would be doing until it was revealed.

The Georgia Lineman Rodeo is sponsored and coordinated through the Georgia Lineman’s Rodeo Association, a non-profit organization. The rodeo consists of four Journeyman events and four Apprentice events. The rodeo draws teams from Georgia, Mississippi, Florida and as far away as Arizona.

Watson will be representing Mississippi Power in the International Lineman Rodeo later this year in Kansas City, Missouri.

For more information or to set up an interview with Charlie Watson, please call Cindy Duvall at (228) 861-5543.

Mississippi Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, serves customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties. The company earned a 2006 Edison Award, the electric utility industry’s most prestigious honor, for restoration efforts after Hurricane Katrina.