The annual competition comprised several categories including mine rescue, Bench BG4, Bench BG174A, Pre-shift, First Aid and Combination. While most of the teams hailed from the Ohio Valley areas of West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Kentucky, teams from Alabama and Illinois also participated.

Taking first place overall in mine rescue once again was the team from Pinnacle Mine. Second place went to Consol’s Bailey team and taking third spot was the Bluegrass Mine Rescue Team of Bluegrass Mining.

In Bench BG4, Eastern Associated Coal’s Southern Appalachia benchman Kyle Blair took first place. Coming in second was Dave Blankenship, also of the Southern Appalachia team. Third was Ken Clarke of Consol’s Mine 84.

Tops in the Bench BG174A contest was Bob Volpe, another benchman from Eighty Four Mining’s 84 operation. Ken American Resources’ Todd Watson of Paradise No. 9 took second, and Gene Menozzi, a benchman from Consol’s Bailey operation, took third.

In Pre-shift, the first-place winner was Shawn Grimmet from Mingo Logan Coal’s Mountaineer team. Kelvin Jolly of McElroy mine was second, while third place was taken by Jim Auredick of Massey Energy’s Southern West Virginia mine.

The Federal No. 2 team from Eastern Associated Coal was tops in the First Aid competition. The Bluegrass Mine Rescue team was second in the division and third was Alabama’s JWR Mine No. 4 team from Jim Walter Resources.

The Federal No. 2 team also swept up top honours in the combination contest, followed by the second place team from Bluegrass Coal. Third place in the event was earned by the Cardinal Team from Warrior Coal.