INTERNATIONAL COLLEGIATE MINING GAMES

History of the Competition

On May 2nd, 1972 fire broke out in the Sunshine Mine near Kellogg, Idaho, USA. At the time 178 miners were working in the mine. Carbon Monoxide, heat, and smoke spread quickly through the tunnels, hampering efforts of rescue workers. Initially, 85 miners escaped safely and two more were rescued seven days later. On May 13, the last of the 91 victims were brought out. The tragedy was the country's worst hard rock mining disaster since 1917. A miner's day ceremony is held on the second day of May each year to honour the men who died.

The International Collegiate Mining Competition started in 1978, more than 25 years ago, in honour and remembrance of the fallen miners from the Sunshine mine as well as all miners who have perished in the line of duty. The goal of the competition is to keep the old-fashioned mining techniques alive, as well as strengthen the camaraderie of the mining students of today. Being the largest event of its kind in the world, it is highly competitive, and there is a great amount of prestige for the winners. In the past, universities and colleges from all over the United States of America, Mexico, Canada and Australia have been represented in the competition. There are divisions in the competition for men's (open), women's and co-ed teams, and it is a fierce fight for the top few places. The competition is historically held over the Easter weekend and comprises of seven events:

  • Airleg: drill into a vertical rock or concrete face using a pneumatic airleg drill.
  • Handsteel: drill into a block of concrete using a four pound sledge hammer and a 7/8 inch wide steel chisel.
  • Survey: given a starting point report the coordinates of a finishing point using an old fashioned vernier transit.
  • Gold pan: find five flattened lead or copper ball bearings in a pan full of dirt and rock.
  • Swede saw: saw through a 6 by 6 piece of pine timber with a 36 inch bow saw.
  • Trackstand: set up and tear down a five metre section of track, including sleepers, rail, connecting plates and bolts.
  • Mucking: run an ore cart down a 75 foot section of track and fill it with muck using shovels.

Points are assigned to each team in each event according to place of finish, and the lowest cumulative score at the end of all seven events is the overall winner. Plaques are awarded to the top finishers in each event, and a traveling trophy is awarded to the team who finishes first place overall. There are also various traveling trophies for first placed teams in individual events. In the past the competition has been dominated by teams such as the Mackay School of Mines (Reno, NV), Missouri School of Mines (Rolla, MO), Montana Tech (Butte, MT), and the Western Australian School of Mines (Kalgoorlie, WA). The competition runs over two days, with around thirty teams from fifteen to twenty universities competing across all divisions. A number of teams have competed over the years including:


America
  • Mackay school of Mines (UNR)
  • Montana Tech (MT)
  • Colorado School of Mines (CSM)
  • Virginia Tech (VT)
  • University of Rolla-Missouri (UMR)
  • University of Alaska-Fairbanks
  • University of Utah
  • University of Arizona
  • University of South Dakota
  • University of Idaho
  • Michigan Tech (MTU)
  • University of Wisconsin
  • New Mexico Tech

Canada
  • University of Queens
  • University of British Columbia

Australia
  • Western Australian School of Mines (WASM)
  • University of Ballarat
  • University of Queensland (UQ)
  • Curtin University
  • University of Wollongong
  • University of New South Wales (UNSW)
  • University of South Australia (UniSA)

England
  • Camborne School of Mines

The professional and local involvement in the International Mining Competition is substantial. Mining and service companies, along with professional bodies such as the Society of Mining Engineers (SME), Australian Institute of Mining & Metallurgy (AusIMM) sponsor the competition each year. The competition is attended by anywhere from hundreds to thousands of people each year, depending on the location and promotional efforts of the hosting university. Each year there is media coverage ranging from local papers to nationally televised news programs and professional journals.