August 8, 2008
CDOT Determines State Roadeo Top Finishers
GREELEY, COLORADO -- Top place finishers were determined during the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) state training and educational snow & ice maintenance equipment roadeo for CDOT maintenance professionals held August 7 at Island Grove Regional Park in Greeley.
The roadeo consisted of a written examination covering state and federal rules and regulations, a pre-trip vehicle inspection skills test, and equipment operation skills tests on demanding obstacle courses. Contestants were the top two place finishers in roadeos held this spring in each of CDOT’s nine maintenance sections. The top four state roadeo place finishers were:
Mid-Range Truck Team Category: 1. Mike Martin, Pueblo & Neil Mauch, Lamar (Pueblo Maintenance Section 4); 2. Kelly Jerome, Centennial & Larry Reed, Lakewood (Denver Maintenance Section 8); 3. Ken Ooley, Grand Junction & Jim Livermore, Grand Junction (Grand Junction Maintenance Section 2); 4. Jerry Wagoner, Haxtun & Scott Chapin, Akron (Greeley Maintenance Section 1)
Tandem Truck Team Category: 1. Justin Decker, Ft. Lupton & Stan Garett, Crook (Greeley Maintenance Section 1); 2. Harold Yutzy, Flagler & Jori Ernst, Colorado Springs (Aurora Maintenance Section 5); 3. Gary Denny, Rangely & Dave Raley, Rangely (Craig Maintenance Section 6); 4. Larry Jack, Alamosa & Richard Aragon, Jefferson (Alamosa Maintenance Section 7)
Front-End Loader Category: 1. Mike Coyne, Holyoke (Greeley Maintenance Section 1); 2. Keith Martinez, Harsel (Alamosa Maintenance Section 7); 3. Chris Seymour, Hugo (Aurora Maintenance Section 5); 4. Kris Winton, Lakewood (Denver Maintenance Section 8)
The equipment roadeo concept, first used by the Colorado Department of Highways in the 1980s, is designed to help CDOT maintenance professionals improve their safety, skills, and knowledge in order to better and more effectively serve the traveling public along the 9,000 miles of Colorado state and federal highways they maintain.