As we’ve reported before, panning for gold is a fast-growing hobby. I get it. I can see the fun in getting out into nature with family and friends. You get to experience the beauty of the great outdoors, enjoy some physical activity, and of course, there’s always the possibility of striking it rich – however unlikely that might be.
But in my opinion, some people have taken this gold panning craze a little too far. They’ve turned it into a competitive sport. No kidding. This year marks 40th anniversary of the World Gold Panning Championships.
This year, Moffatt, Scotland will host the championships. They’ve actually been doing this since 1977. The first World Gold Panning Championships were held in Finland.
I don’t want to offend any of you competitive gold panners out there, but I just don’t get it.
Here’s how the competition works, as reported by the BBC.
There are a range of different categories in which 30 competitors at a time each receive a bucket of sand and gravel containing a few flakes of gold. They race against the clock to find as many pieces as they can with the quickest progressing to the next round. The winner on finals day is then crowned world champion.’
This post was published at Schiffgold on AUGUST 18, 2017.
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