Josh Chiat
Sunday, 5 March 2017 2:51PM
The WASM Wombats are placing a renewed focus on learning and competition ahead of the 39th International Collegiate Mining Competition in Lexington, Kentucky, from March 22 to 26.
Last year’s back-to-back men’s championship in Butte, Montana, was marred after two students and Wombats competitors were shot in New Orleans on a private trip after the successful campaign.
Wombats treasurer Eoghan McCallion acknowledged maintaining the heavyweight team’s image was important in an event the Kalgoorlie squad has dominated over the past 15 years.
“They were on a private trip afterwards but I suppose through the media, it did get associated with us,” he said.
“But as a group, we’ve always really had a pretty strong level of teamwork and we take it pretty seriously, the (Mining) Games that is.”
He said the support of long-term sponsors and retaining their confidence directed the squad’s focus ahead of their trip.
“We’ve had a lot of long-term sponsors who’ve been important especially in the aftermath of last year,” he said.
“It was something we knew ourselves, but the sponsors hit it home that we just needed to keep our focus on games and getting as much out of America as we could.
“Most of our sponsors are long-term sponsors and the other ones are really focused on building a long-term relationship with us.”
The Wombats will place an emphasis on education after the competition, with a series of mine tours in the States.
“It’s something that’s been present in the past, but we think in recent years it’s fallen a bit to the wayside,” he said.
“So we’ve put in an added emphasis this year because it’s such a great opportunity.
“For us, the games are a great opportunity to get to America, and we take it really seriously, but the mine tours are as important to us.”
That will include Barrick’s Goldstrike — the largest gold mine in North America — and KGHM’s Robinson Copper-Gold Mine in Nevada.
Twelve students from WASM Kalgoorlie will attend the games, which began in 1978 to honour the 91 lives lost in the Sunshine Mine disaster in Idaho six years earlier.
