Lansing Lethal Ladies aim to reclaim pipe tapping crown

The Lansing Lethal Ladies from Michigan are aiming for a return to glory at the women’s pipe tapping championships at the American Water Works Association’s Annual Conference and Exposition (ACE), and they expect to leave this year’s event in Denver with some hardware.

The competition requires each team to tap a water pressurized ductile iron pipe, install a corporation stop, cut and flare 3/4-inch copper tubing for installation of a water service line with a curb stop, and connect this line to a meter yoke. During the process, the team must follow safety guidelines and avoid water leaks.

The Lansing team was the first ladies’ team to win the event four consecutive years, claiming the top prize from 2014-17. The team’s cranker, Kelly Gleason, hopes the team can reclaim this year.

“To me, success in pipe tapping competitions is about staying calm, performing under pressure without hesitation, and counting on each other to get the job done,” Gleason said. “I focus on doing my part right and staying in sync with the team, especially when the pressure is on. When everyone’s locked in, it just clicks.”

Gleason, who is an environmental compliance specialist in the Environmental Services and Reliability Compliance Department for the Lansing Board of Water and Light, is joined by two other women on the team.

Stasi Kreiner, key account manager, is in her second year as the team’s copper. The copper prepares the copper to connect the line to the meter yoke. Kreiner saw joining the team as a unique opportunity to accomplish a fun challenge. She attributes the team’s success to “having people excited and willing to work together with the determination to win.”

The third member of the team, Julie Maltby, is an environmental technician and the team’s setter. As the setter, Maltby prepares and stabilizes the drilling equipment for the cranker.

Maltby, who is in her fourth year on the team, joined the team “to be a part of a team and have fun with co-workers.”

The team’s coach, Remecho Sanders, has led Lansing’s men’s and women’s teams since they were first introduced.

The preliminaries for this year’s event will be 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. on June 9 and 10:15 a.m. until 5 p.m. on June 10. The finals are slated for 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. on June 11.