The night before the International Lineman's Rodeo, linemen from all over the world come together to celebrate the line trade and swap T-shirts, hats and other merchandise. The linemen walk in the doors of the Overland Park Convention Center with duffel bags of their own company shirts, but they walk out with new T-shirts from their friends in the line trade.
As in past years, every shirt had a special story behind it. Some of the shirts were designed by linemen or supervisors, and some designs even featured silhouettes of real-life Rodeo competitors. Also, American pride was an overarching theme this year, with American flags gracing the backs of many of the company shirts, which were mostly long-sleeved rather than short-sleeved this year.
Here are some of our favorite designs that we spotted on the floor of the convention center. Apprentices, linemen and supervisors showcased their designs to the Transmission and Distribution World team as they were waiting to head up the escalator for the 2018 Trade Night.