Miami Boomtown Spree is held each year in April. The Town of Miami, located 70 miles East of Phoenix on US 60, is a copper mining boomtown that was started in 1909 and quickly became home to over 10,000 miners and their families. In 1939, the first Boomtown Spree was held, interrupted by WWII and later died out in the 1960's. The Boomtown Spree was revived in 1990 and has turned into a great annual festival.

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ARIZONA STATE MINING CHAMPIONSHIP(TM)
sponsored by the
MIAMI BOOMTOWN SPREE

Rules and Regulations
for the
Arizona State Mining Championship(TM)
as adopted in 1997 in part from the Colorado State Mining Championship
with thanks to Charlie Marshall and the Township of Creede, Colorado

The Arizona State Mining Championship is a registered Trademark of
Miami BoomTown Spree Association, Inc., a non-profit 501-C3 corporation.
Town of Miami, Arizona, USA.

The Arizona State Mining Championship(TM) will consist of four (4) events:

Machine Drilling
Hand Mucking
Spike Driving
Hand Drilling

Judging

Judges and Referees will be provided by the Arizona Mine Inspector's office and or the Arizona Department of Mineral Resources.

All judgments and decisions made by the judges are final and without appeal.

The judges may, at their discretion, defer a judgement not covered in the contest rules to the contestants provided the contestants unanimously and without delay support a decision.

The judges may at their discretion disqualify a contestant at any time. Grounds for disqualification might include but are not limited to: unsafe operation of equipment; unsafe, disruptive or rude behavior; offensive language; etc.

Prize Money

Prize money award values will be set by the Miami BoomTown Spree as funding permits.

The contest was formed to bolster community pride, to promote the mining industry and to educate the public about the service and skills of miners and their employers.

Prize money awards are of secondary consideration to the above stated goal.

Timekeeping

Timekeepers will be selected by the Mining Events Committee.

Three timekeepers will be provided for each event.

The "official time" will be an average of the times recorded by the three timekeepers.

In the event of a grossly errant time on a stopwatch, the timekeepers may at their discretion "throw out" the questionable time and average only two (2) stopwatches for the official time recorded.

Hand Drilling will be timed with a single "official" stopwatch and a second "back-up" in case the first watch fails.

Official times are without appeal from competitors or the audience.

Rules and General Contest Descriptions

Machine Drilling

This contest demonstrates skills used to drive underground tunnels in solid rock.

The contest will determine which competitor can most quickly and accurately drill two (2) holes of predetermined length into the rock.

The drilling rock will be painted with squares for the event.

The collar of the holes must be inside of the green (Miami School's Color) square.

The contestant drawing square #1 will begin the contest. The contestant begins with the jackleg on the ground behind the Starting Line and the steel must be out of the machine. Time begins when the contestant touches the steel or the machine. The contestant carries the machine back across the Start Line and time ends when the machine's stinger touches the ground behind the Start Line.

Grounds for Disqualification include but are not limited to: unsafe acts; drilling out the top of the rock; drilling to another hole; shooting the steel; or becoming entangled in the machine drill or steel.

The contestants may heap or pile the muck to their satisfaction.

The mucker may begin with a full shovel resting on the muck pile.

Time begins when the first shovel of muck is thrown at, into, or in the vicinity of a judge or the muck car.

Judges will scrape or level the car to their satisfaction.

Time ends when the judge drops his/her hand signifying a full muck car.

The ore care is emptied and contestants help one another contour the muck pile to their satisfaction. The contestant fills a shovel full of muck and rests it on top of the muck pile. Mucker throws the first shovel of muck when ready and the time begins. Two (2) judges level the car and a third judge stands in view of the timers. Third judge holds a raised arm and drops it when he/she determines the car to be full. Time ends when the judge drops his/her arm. The competitors may elect to "pre-fill" a portion of the car to a pre-determined fill line for the Women's competition. Muck loaded in the General competitions averages about 1000 pounds or 1/2 ton. Muck loaded in the Women's competition averages about 650 pounds or 1/3 ton. Female contestants may choose to compete in the General event.

The contestant starts behind the Starting Line with five (5) 60d spikes and an axe in his/her possession.

When the judge yells "go", the contestant runs to the spiking timbers and drives his/her spikes.

Two (2) spikes are driven up into an overhead timber and three (3) spikes are driven down into the lower timber.

In the event of a thrown nail or broken axe the contestant must run back to the Starting Line and retrieve another one, then continue spiking.

The contestant then runs back across the line and the time ends.

The judges then check the driven spikes to insure that all are flush with or below the surface of the timber and that none are bent over.

The Spike Driving competition displays timbering skills used to support underground mine workings. The contest determines which contestant can drive heavy spikes into timbers the fastest.

Grounds for Disqualification include but are not limited to: leaving any portion of the nail head above the surface of the timber; leaving a bent nail; jump starts; and unsafe acts.

The Hand Drilling contest determines which miner can drill the deepest hole in five (5) minutes.

Time begins when the first blow from the hammer strikes the steel.

Time ends at five (5) minutes and the last ten (10) seconds are counted down.

Permissible Equipment

Any hammer (commonly called a "single jack"). Contestants shall use a hammer whose head weighs no more than four (4) pounds.

A set of hand steel of the contestant's choice.

HOWEVER, THE LAST STEEL USED MUST MEASURE A MINIMUM OF 3/4 AT THE BIT

The preferred drilling rock is Gunnison Blue Granite, however the contest will use hard competent rock based on availability.

One (1) point for each placing in the four (4) contests will be tallied for each contestant. Contestants must participate in at least three (3) events to be eligible for the "All Around Miner" title. In the event a contestant elects not to participate in one of the four (4) events, he/she will be given points equivalent to "last place" in that event. Example: if six (6) people compete in the event the non-competitor would receive a score of seven (7) for that event.

The miner with the least number of points at the end of the day wins. (4 first place finishes for 4 points is an automatic win!)

For more information, please call Miami Town Hall, 928-473-4403