A 30,000-pound GVW truck with a mounted snowplow and loader was among the heavy machinery inside Johnston High School’s spacious parking lot last Wednesday.
Members of public works departments from all over the state trekked down for the Rhode Island Public Works Association 2019 Snowplow Rodeo. In all, there were 16 teams – a number that Erin Gingerella, membership services coordinator for the Charlestown-based RIPWA, said was a record.
“We lucked out with the weather and missed the rain and heat of the previous few says,” Gingerella said. “Teams from all of over the state came here [to Johnston] to participate and begin their winter training in July.”
Moreover, there were a record number of supporters, one of the largest being gold sponsor Northland GCB. Rhode Island territory manger Derrick Swimm of Somerset, Massachusetts, represented the company.
“The Snowplow Rodeo is a great way to train, keep up and test the skills and knowledge of Rhode Island department of public works municipal employees in a number of different activities,” said Steve Mattscheck, Exeter’s DPW director and RIPWPA’s president. “Teams of two are tested by participating in a pre-trip inspection then snowplow slalom.”
The slalom, as Mattscheck explained while chatting with Swimm, “includes troublesome areas like backing up in tight spaces as well as going around tight corners. We set up barrels and cones and if an operator hits one, points are deducted from his score.”
He also added that the pre-trips included an inspection where teams had to inspect each of the competing tricks and make sure they were in proper working order, calling out when something was not correct.
The event also featured a loader competition, and all teams were required to attend presentation by Lindsay Baker of Honest Nutrition LLC that centered on nutrition and healthy eating while on the job.
When the slalom was completed, East Greenwich DPW staffers Jay Higgins and Jim Muto took top honors. Exeter’s TJ Brayman and North Kingstown’s Kyle Wicker shared runner-up honors, while Providence’s Tubo Hernandez and Jason Turbitt placed third.
In the pre-trip inspection area, Brayman and Wicker won top honors while North Kingstown’s Mark Flesia and Greg Senape placed second. Third place went to Warwick’s Jason Bastien and Tom Champlin.
Gingerella said North Kingstown’s Chris Cole took first place in the loader competition, with his DPW colleague Wicker taking second and Brayman placing third.
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