by Kelsey Penrose

This year’s Nevada Day celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Single Jack Rock Drilling World Championships, and a number of contestants — including first timers — came out to join in on the fun.

For those who have never seen the competition firsthand, single jack is a time-honored mining tradition in which the drilling contestant uses a four-pound hammer and a variety of steel rods to drill a hole by hand into granite.

Men’s Division

Emmitt Hoyl 12 1/32 inches
Matt Decker 11 3/32 inches
Craig Leedy 10 26/32 inches
Tom Donovan 9 30/32 inches
Skip Leedy 9 28/32 inches
Kaleb Denham 9 26/32 inches
Steve McDonald 9 14/32 inches
Jeff Cooper 8 24/32 inches
Tobin Rupert 8 10/32 inches

Women’s Division

Emma Baker 5 28/32 inches
Claire Roberts 3 2/32 inches
Natalie Rubio 2 10/32 inches
Maddie Freitas 1 15/32 inches
Rachel Donovan 1 inch

To learn more about the history of the Single Jack Rock Drill contest, see our previous reporting here.