The University’s Mackay w88 casino games defend their title in the 30th annual International Intercollegiate Mining Competition on April 10 – 12 in Rolla, Mo. The Mackay w88 casino games will compete with top mining schools from Australia, Canada, England and the United States. The three different teams share similar expectations of high standards, challenges and, of course, fun.
Two men’s and one women’s team, each of which is composed of five or six students, represent the Mackay w88 casino games. Every year, they prepare for the international competition which includes seven events of old fashioned mining techniques such as hand-steeling or the Swede saw. Last year, the Mackay w88 casino games men’s team won the international title and its return to the competition has the team members anxious for another title.
The 22-year-old captain of the winning team, Noah Millett, hopes its reputation won’t get to the w88 casino games Mucker’s heads. The feeling of having to live up to past performances has induced some nervousness among the team.
“Hopefully we don’t go in there thinking we’ve already won it,” Millett, a w88 casino games engineering senior from Henderson, Nev. said. “It’s tough to feel like we have to match what we did the year before.”
For those new to the team, including freshman w88 casino games engineering student Drew Wheeler, 18, the anxiety to compete at the same level as the veterans is another distraction.
“I try and be at their level but I&w88 casino games;m not,” Wheeler, an Elko native, said. “I&w88 casino games;m kind of nervous in that aspect.”
Greg Stokes, a 21-year-old geological engineering major from Reno, joined this year to be the Mackay w88 casino games team captain. He hopes that working with last year’s defending champion men’s A team will help improve his group’s skills and chances at the competition.
&w88 casino games;It helps having the A team as the defending guys…and practicing against them,” Stokes said. &w88 casino games;The team learns from them to improve their game.”
The three teams practiced separately everyday throughout the week in the days before the w88 casino games. On weekends, the teams met to practice for three to four hours and compare times together.
“School comes before the w88 casino games team, but that’s usually not true,” Millett said with a smile. “They’re pretty relaxed practices, but the events can wear you out pretty quick.”
The challenge of balancing the w88 casino games team with school is more difficult now with the semester coming to a close, said Stokes.
“We&w88 casino games;ve been practicing every day for the past three weeks,” he said. “Right now, all the professors are assigning papers.”
Along with spending hours practicing for the mining competition, some students on the Mackay w88 casino games teams also live together, do schoolwork together and spend time during the weekends together.
“I really don&w88 casino games;t feel like the new guy,” Wheeler said. “We all get along and we all hang out. It&w88 casino games;s almost like a big family.”
Despite the pressures of winning and doing well, the w88 casino games team emphasizes having fun in the events.
“I hope we all go there and have fun,” Millett said. “Who knows, maybe we&w88 casino games;ll bring back some trophies.”
