Georgia Power linemen showed they’ve got the “right stuff” in this year’s International Lineman’s Rodeo Competition, clinching first place overall among their competitors.

Georgia Power teams also took first and fourth place in the investor owned utility division. This marks the sixth year the company has walked away with winner’s trophies.

Members of the first place team came from Georgia Power’s Gwinnett operating headquarters and included linemen Chris Jarrard, Derek Bell and Scott Simpson.

The fourth place team from the company’s Augusta operating headquarters consisted of linemen Joey Culverhouse, Mills Polatty and Walter Guilfoyle.

Dominating the top spots overall in the Apprentice Division in a series of five events were apprentice lineman Tyson Heath who won second place, and his brother Tim Heath who walked away with fifth place. Both apprentice linemen work in Georgia Power’s metro north Atlanta region.

“Our linemen demonstrate on a daily basis that they’re world class by the outstanding work that they do. By dominating the top spots in this competition, they’ve validated those skills and proved it on the international stage,” said Georgia Power President and CEO David Ratcliffe.

The 19th annual event held in Kansas City, Mo., Sept. 14 brought together teams from electric utilities around the country and as far away as Ireland.

In all, five three-member teams and six apprentice linemen from Georgia Power participated in the competition.

There were 235 teams who performed a variety of maneuvers to demonstrate their physical stamina, safety, skill, speed, teamwork and knowledge of the electrical system. There were also 262 apprentice linemen competing in individual events.

Participants in the competition tested their expertise in timed events such as mock rescue of a full weight mannequin from the top of a power pole, replacing a pole crossarm and insulator, and pole climbing.

Georgia Power is the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, one of the nation’s largest generators of electricity. The company is an investor-owned, tax-paying utility, serving customers in 57,000 of the state’s 59,000 square miles. Georgia Power’s rates are more than 15 percent below the national average and its 2 million customers are in all but six of Georgia’s 159 counties.