Freeman finishes in familiar place — District 3 Roadeo champ
Event mixes fun with tests of skill, knowledge
Among the 110 people (including judges, coordinators, cooks and managers/supervisors) and 43 competitors at the District 3 Equipment Roadeo last week, was one familiar face. In fact, he has been at the top of the podium eight times.
The annual test of driving and equipment knowledge took place Wednesday (May 30) in Garden Valley. Robin Freeman, a three-time state roadeo champion from the New Meadows shop, came out on top in the foreman division for the third straight year..
The event is a chance for employees to meet in friendly competition, but also serves as a reminder of the skill, knowledge and discipline that helps ensure the driving safety of the public.
“The Roadeo is certainly fun, but it’s also about demonstrating your skills while taking a moment to be mindful of the dangers and challenges of operating trucks and loaders,” said District Engineer Dave Jones.
Coit Herrick of Marsing Maintenance took first place in the transportation technician division. New Meadows Maintenance man Brad Steiner, son of shop mechanic Jack Steiner, was second. Kelley Dick of the Sign Crew took third place.
Two rounds of scoring through the truck-driving and loader-operator courses were recorded, in addition to results of a written exam. Participants had 10 minutes to find five “planted” defects in the truck inspection portion of the competition and 10 minutes to answer 10 multiple-choice questions.
In the TT division, Ed Horn of Special Crew won the snow plow event, and Steiner placed first in the front-end loader event. Freeman won the snow plow event in the foreman division, and Brian Inwards of Cascade Maintenance won the loader competition. Eleven competitors recorded perfect scores on both the truck inspection and written exams.
Foreman Division
1. Robin Freeman – 2,215 points
Transportation Tech. Division
1. Coit Herrick – 2,183
2. Brad Steiner – 2,173
3. Kelley Dick – 2,103
Freeman won the statewide truck roadeo three times, placed second once, and finished third two other times. He has advanced to the statewide competition 17 times in the event’s 20-year history.
The four will travel to the state finals Tuesday (June 12) at District 2's Dworshak Dam near Orofino.
Published 6-8-2012