Nevada Day World Championship Single Jack Drilling Contest brings out the best of the best in Comstock heritage
Each year, dozens of competitors gather above a slab of sierra white granite to determine who will walk away with that year’s crown. No, this isn’t a story of King Arthur, and there is no sword in this stone; instead, contestants see who can drill the fastest into the granite using only hammers and a bit of steel.
The annual World Championship Single Jack Drilling Contest has been ongoing for nearly 50 years and is a Nevada Day staple in Carson City.
Throughout the competition, contests use 4 1/2 pound hammers and a 3/4 bit of steel. They have ten minutes to pound the drills into the stone as fast and as deep as they can — the only assistance they receive is from an assistant who runs water into the hole to loosen stone chips and clear debris.
The Single Jack Drilling Contest comes right from Comstock heritage, when the technique was used to drill into granite to provide blasting holes for dynamite.
The competition is broken into two groups: the men’s competition and the women’s competition.
The 2022 winners are as follows:
Men’s Competition
1st. Tom Donovan 11 26/32 inches
2nd. Emmit Hoyl 10 25/32
3rd. Jesse Pattridge 10 22/32
4th. Skip Leedy 10 15/32
5th. Craig Leedy 10 6/32
Women's Competition
1st. Emma Baker 6 10/32 inches
2nd. Maddie Frietas (not recorded)
3rd. Rachel Donovan (not recorded)
Congratulations to all of the winners, and we’ll see you again next year on Nevada Day!