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Equipment roadeos revamped to entice new competitors

The annual equipment roadeos will be held across the state this summer, starting in a couple weeks with the District 3 event in the Garden Valley Gravel Pit. The events have been retooled this year to introduce new pieces of equipment to entice new transportation techs to get involved.

Department-wide, fully 25% of ITD’s employees are new in the last two years. If that same ratio holds true for Division of Highways, there are plenty of newbies in the ITD system to take part.

State Truck Roadeo Coordinator Kelley Dick said, “Last year, while setting up the roadeos statewide, I asked a question - Why is attendance dropping? The common answer was that the equipment and course never change and the old timers always win.”

“So, I made the decision to change a couple things this year at the roadeos.”

For decades, the foremen competed in a separate category from the TTO’s, so he eliminated that break this year –“everyone will compete together.”

Also for the first time in ITD’s roadeo history, Kelley is introducing a 10-wheeler with a two-way plow, replacing the 6-wheeler with a one-way plow, and adding a backhoe event to the mix this year.

Four winners from each district will be going to the state roadeo in D2 June 19 to determine which two will be advancing to Colorado to participate in the national roadeo in Loveland, Colorado.

Below is the schedule for roadeo events this summer:

2018 Equipment Roadeo Schedule
D3—May 15 (Tuesday) Garden Valley Gravel Pit
D4—May 17 (Thursday) Twin Falls Mtc
D5—May 22 (Tuesday) Pocatello HQ’s Main Complex
D6—May 24 (Thursday) Sugar City
D1—June 12 (Tuesday) Athol Gravel Pit
D2—June 14 (Thursday) Orofino- Dworshak Dam
STATE—D2—June 19 (Tuesday) Orofino-Dworshak Dam