By Teri Vance
In the dying light of the October sun, Ryan Green swings his hammer. The rhythmic clank of steel on steel punctuates the sounds of traffic, signifying the end of the work day, on nearby Curry Street in Carson City.
“OK, Ryan, let’s slap a little bit now,” Tobin Rupert encourages. “Just keep pumping away. Looking good.”
Green tried his hand for the first time last year at the annual World Championship Single-Jack Rock Drilling during the Nevada Day celebration Saturday in Carson City and plans to compete again this year.
“Oh shoot, this is fun,” he said. “It’s a mental challenge. It’s a new athletic event for me. I always try to be working on something.”
During the competition, which hearkens back to the Comstock-mining era, Contestants use 4 1/2 pound hammers to drill a steel bit as deep as they can into a piece of Sierra white granite. Participants have 10 minutes to pound the bits into the solid stone, and the deepest hole wins.
Rupert, who has competed for more than a decade at rock-drilling competitions throughout the West, regularly practices on a slap of granite behind his Rupert’s Precision Gemcutting shop.
This year, he is training with Green, who is in his second year, and Jeff Cooper, who will compete for the first time Saturday.
“I’m pretty jacked about it,” Cooper said.
He has watched the competition for years and always thought about trying it. “I framed houses for a while,” he said. “I just thought it would be something I would be good at.”
It wasn’t quite what he expected. “It’s way different,” he said. “The rudimentary swinging of the hammer is the same. I was amazed by the endurance and stamina you need.”
Green has found the same paradox. “It is as simple as just swinging a hammer. But it really sort of isn’t either,” he explained. “There’s technique and form and just mental toughness. The hardest part is not letting your mind let you quit.”
This year, he’s drilled at competitions in Virginia City and Tonopah as well and seen improvements each time. But Saturday’s competition will be the highlight.
“I’ve had this day circled since last year,” he said. “It’s the world championships.”
He credits Rupert, former world champion Fred Andreasen and others for their advice. Rather than see see them as rivals, Rupert says he welcomes the competition.
“They make me better,” he said. “I told those guys if they beat me I will be proud.”
But that doesn’t mean he’ll cut them any slack. “I don’t lay down for anyone,” Rupert said. “They’ve got to beat me fair and square.”
The National Championship Single-Jack Rock Drilling will be 11 a.m. Saturday in the parking lot of the Carson Nugget.
