After ending a streak during last year’s event, Josh Forest held onto the National King Miner crown after a gruelling day of competition during Nickel Days June 23.
Forest and 15 other competitors took part in 11 different mining-related events such as jackleg drilling, hose mending and crib building just outside the Thompson Regional Community Centre.
Since King Miner veteran Brian Woytkiw did not participate in this year’s festivities for the first time in more than a decade, the field was left wide open for an eager newcomer to swoop in and steal the crown for themselves.
However, Forest, who’s participated in at least the last 10 King Miner competitions and finally ended Woytkiw’s reign as an eight-time champion in 2017, ended up capturing first-place finishes in stoper drilling, hand mucking and pipefitting, while also cracking the top four in all but three individual event categories, netting himself $4,300 in prize money overall.
Competitors Jason Stykalo and Scott Kennedy also put in impressive performances this past Saturday, becoming the first and second runners-up, respectively.
Not only did the pair walk away with plaques and prize money for the team event (alongside Justin Lefebvre and Alex Martin), but they also earned first- and second- place finishes in the log sawing event, which turned out to be the most physically demanding aspect of this year’s contest.
The 2018 National King Miner contest also holds the distinction of featuring Malanie Cutler as the first female competitor to complete all of the events in its 47-year history.
Even though she didn’t crack the top four in any of the individual portions, the Kin Club president told the Thompson Citizen that this was something she wanted to do for a long time and was just happy to finish the competition.
Cutler credits a lot of her success to her fellow competitors, who offered her plenty of advice and words of encouragement every step of the way.
“The guys were very supportive. They walked me through a lot of the events because I don’t work in the mining industry,” she said. “It was very endearing.”
While Cutler isn’t sure if she’s going to compete in next year’s National King Miner contest, she still describes it as a rewarding experience that other women could benefit from.
“If I can do it, anybody can do it and there’s a lot of women who work in the mining industry that I encourage to do it, because it’s a good event to challenge yourself with.”
2018 National King Miner Contest Winners
National King Miner
King Miner: Josh Forest
First runner-up: Jason Stykalo
Second runner-up: Scott Kennedy
Third runner-up: Gord Whalen
Team event winners
Scott Kennedy, Justin Lefebvre, Jason Stykalo, Alex Martin
Rookie prize
Micheal Gallant
Stoper drilling
First prize: Josh Forest
Second prize: Alex Martin
Third prize: Gord Whalen
Fourth prize: Justin Lefebvre
Jackleg drilling
First prize: Gord Whalen
Second prize: Alex Martin
Third prize: Josh Forest
Fourth prize: Troy Martin
Crib building
First prize: Scott Kennedy
Second prize: Matthew Macgregor
Third prize: Gord Whalen
Fourth prize: Josh Forest
Log Sawing
First prize: Jason Stykalo
Second prize: Scott Kennedy
Third prize: Matthew Macgregor
Fourth prize: Josh Forest
Ladder climbing
First prize: Scott Kennedy
Second prize: Jason Stykalo
Third prize: Gord Whalen
Fourth prize: Justin Lefebvre
Hose mending
First prize: Troy Martin
Second prize: Josh Forest
Third prize: Gord Whalen
Fourth prize: Jason Stykalo
Hand mucking
First prize: Josh Forest
Second prize: Jason Stykalo
Third prize: Alex Martin
Fourth prize: Justin Lefebvre
Steel packing
First prize: Scott Kennedy
Second prize: Matthew Macgregor
Third prize: Justin Lefebvre
Fourth prize: Josh Forest
Bolting
First prize: Alex Martin
Second prize: Gord Whalen
Third prize: Justin Lefebvre
Fourth prize: Ian Bercier
Pipefitting
First prize: Josh Forest
Second prize: Jason Stykalo
Third prize: Scott Kennedy
Fourth prize: Micheal Gallant
Nail driving
First prize: Scott Kennedy
Second prize: Jason Stykalo
Third prize: Gord Whalen
Fourth prize: Troy Martin
