Locating – It’s not a Contest

It’s not a CONTEST

For several years in the early 2000s I had the pleasure of volunteering with the International Locate Rodeo. It was always very gratifying to see locate technicians from all over the country come together to compete with one another in celebration of what is an often under-appreciated trade.

Reflecting the environment of real world locating, the Locate Rodeo emphasized safety while challenging competitors to locate as accurately as possible under the pressure of a ticking clock. While it was fun to be a spectator at the event, it could be a nerve-wracking crucible to even the most experienced of competitors.

As much as the rodeo attempted to mimic real-world locating though, the facilities were always able to be located by electromagnetic induction within the time allowed, and the only penalty for getting it wrong was wounded pride.

The real world is not so orderly. Many, many facilities resist accurate detection through electromagnetic induction for a whole host of reasons from obvious to obscure, and the penalty for a failed locate can be immense. Never mind the background noise of the ever-present clock, ticking away the seconds to failure.

It is in these moments of real-world stress that I would offer locating technicians the following words of comfort, “it’s not a contest.” There are no winners and losers, and you can stop the clock whenever you want.

The pressure and anxiety a technician sometimes can feel on a job site comes from forgetting that there might not be a right answer.”