'Snow Roadeo’ competition puts Nebraska snowplow operators to the test

It hasn’t snowed in Kearney for several weeks, but on Thursday morning snowplow drivers were out in full force at the Nebraska Safety Center.

A total of 16 teams from across the state competed in the Nebraska Department of Transportation’s Snow Roadeo event.

The competition included an obstacle course where snowplow drivers swerved through cones, made sharp turns and backed up into tight spaces, all while competing against the clock.

Competitors also took a written test and performed snowplow inspections to find vehicle defects.

Snow and ice weren’t part of the event, but NDOT Operations Manager Tom Renninger said the obstacles were designed to correspond with experiences snowplow drivers have during the winter.

“We could have ice underneath the snow, we could have ice on top of the snow, so this just kind of simulates all the different things that we think that they may run into,” he said.

Some obstacles were more difficult for drivers from different regions of Nebraska.

Renninger said Omaha drivers tend to do well with tight corners, while drivers from Gering, in the Nebraska Panhandle, may have a different skillset.

“Your Gering people are more in the rural setting,” he said. “They’re probably excelling more in the alley docks because of the different things that they do out west.”

Chad Shaul and Tyrel Yager, a duo from Valentine, were among the winners at last year’s Snow Roadeo competition.

Shaul hoped his team’s speed on the obstacle course would help them win again.

“Might have ticked a few barrels here and there,” he said. “But I think we made it up on time. And time matters. So that's what we're putting our bets on.”

Shaul attributed his success at snowplow driving competitions to growing up as a kid in the Sandhills.

“Most boys are running tractors, ranch equipment, and you always try to have a little fun,” he said. “That translates over when we’re grown men playing with toys. We still have a little fun out on the job sites.”

The winners of the event were Chad Shaul and Tyrel Yager, from District 8 in Valentine.

They will advance to a national competition in Colorado in September.