Competitors take to the sky

Tough Tower competition bolsters safety in telecommunication industry

NORTH JACKSON -- Nearly 100 spectators watched as seven two-person teams competed Saturday in an inaugural, two-day Tough Tower competition that will see the best of the best crowned champions today.

The teams are experienced tower technicians from across America, and are professionals in the telecommunications industry. Each team competed in eight preliminary industry-related challenges on the ground and on multiple training towers on Saturday.

The competition's slogan is "Climb, Compete, Conquer." Teams will be judged on how well they perform their everyday duties and challenges with speed and accuracy.

The major categories were safety, rescue, crane maneuverability, climbing, rigging, speed and installation. All challenges were written and designed by Jon Haught of STG Construction (Summit Tower Group) of East Palestine, who is a 13-year veteran of the company.

"The competition was not designed to encourage more men and women to get involved in the telecommunication industry, but to encourage the importance of safety and rescue tactics and emphasize what our amazing employees do on a daily basis. While most businesses struggled during COVID-19, from 2019 to 2023, our industry grew by 300 percent," Amanda Gonzalez, STG Communications event coordinator and accounts manager, said.

The industry grew three-fold during this period because periodically, towers need to be updated because of the need for speed in the cellphone and broadcast industry. During the past three years, the changeover from 4G to 5G was one of the main reasons for the boom.

STG was responsible for stronger, faster antennas and stronger radio reception from towers for major companies such as T-Mobile, Verizon, Dish and AT&T. It changes the old antennas and radios and replaces them with the new ones.

Gonzalez has been with the company for 10 years after graduating from Campbell Memorial High School and then acquiring an associate's degree from Youngstown State University.

Jake Giesy also was a major player before and during the event. As a safety and projects manager for Tri-County Tower in North Jackson, his duties included the pregame preparations.

At 8 a.m., he began the ground rules at each event area, step by step, with all contestants in attendance. He emphasized that "safety first" should be the most important issue during the games. Because of his prep work, each event went off without a hitch, and no one was injured.

"Tri-County Tower in North Jackson is responsible for the maintenance of the communication towers, and works mainly with broadcast, across the state of Ohio," Giesy said.

TCT works especially with Ohio Edison in emergency mode during storms and power outages.

"We will repair and maintain the towers, and Ohio Edison provides the power," Giesy said.

He graduated from Lakeview High School in Cortland in 2016 and was hired as a climber until he was promoted to safety director and project manager in 2021.

The Tough Tower competition's goal is to provide safe and exciting competition featuring the best men and women in the industry as the teams go head-to-head in a battle of skill and agility. Each team was graded by judges from the industry, and total points were to be tallied at the end of the day Saturday. It is not based on points deducted, but by points accumulated.

Three teams were cut at the end of the day Saturday, and two more will be cut by noon today.

The final two teams will compete today and the inaugural Tough Tower championship cup will be awarded during today's ceremonial event.