national Collegiate Mining Games.

WASM has put together two teams of six for an assault on the 27th annual challenge where the Australian contingent will take on enormous American mining schools.

The competition will be held on April 2-3 and will feature student miners from schools around the world.

Teams will contest seven events encompassing traditional mining techniques, including airleg drilling, gold panning, hand mucking/bogging, hand steeling, timber/ swede sawing, surveying and track/rail stand.

The local WASM Wombats outfit was selected from a pool of just 500 students while some US schools boast up to 10,000 students.

But despite that obvious disadvantage, WASM boasts a particularly proud record at the event.

Since contesting the challenge for the first time six years ago, WASM has won four titles and finished in the top three on every occasion.

Wombats entered last year's program at the World Museum of Mining in Butte, Montana in search of a fifth consecutive title - but fell just short in finishing second.

The Wombats flew out of Kalgoorlie-Boulder last week on the back of an intensive training regimen of about two hours every day since returning for the new school semester.

Among the well wishers was Kalgoorlie MLA Matt Birney who presented Wombats' captain Raymond Wattenhofer with an Australian flag.

This will be Mr Watten-hofer's third stint as team captain.

He will also remain eligible for next year's event, which will be held on home turf.

Kalgoorlie-Boulder last hosted the event at the Australian Prospectors and Miners Hall of Fame in 2003.

It marked the first time the games had been held outside the United States, with the local combination grabbing the honours.

That program also coincided with WASM's centenary celebrations.