The International Intercollegiate Mining Competition is a different kind of college sports tourney that might even lead to a job.

The 33rd annual tournament took place over the weekend and included eight events, each inspired by a bygone era of prospecting. Participants pan for gold, saw timber and drill with a 6-foot-long hydraulic drill bit.

But the competition is more than who can drill the deepest or saw the fastest -- it's also about technical skill.

"It's like any athletic event: Technique and form are key," said Danny Taylor, chairman of the mining engineering department at the University of Nevada, Reno, the host of this year's games. "Your best golfers are not the guys who hit the hardest; they're the ones who hit the ball hard with the right form. It's the same thing with shoveling dirt or swinging that 4-pound hammer."

An engineering-heavy group of men and women from as far as Australia come each year to show off their skills.

"We practice all year for one competition," said Kris Strickland, a senior at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and one of this weekend's competitors. "We're idiots."

Hiring managers flock to the events, as well.

"I've absolutely hired people I've met here," said Richard Perry, a geologist who judged the surveying event. "I'm looking for people who know how to work as a team."

Students also see the competition as a networking opportunity.

"As much as this is a competition, these are the people we're going to be working with," said Catherine Walker, a senior from the Missouri University of Science and Technology. Walker has a job promised to her when she graduates (Jesse McKinley, New York Times, March 20). -- PK