Traverse City Record-Eagle

Sports

February 1, 2012

White Pine canceled for first time ever

BY JAMES COOK jcook@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — For the first time in its history, the White Pine Stampede has been canceled.

Originally, race director Jack McKaig planned on Tuesday to scrap the 40-kilometer race and keep the 20K and 10K events as planned. Then the thermometer hit 51 and the trail's snow quickly dwindled.

"The 51 degrees and sun today really killed us," McKaig said Tuesday evening. "This morning ... it was really good, considering everything. We were going to throw a little snow on it. We had made arrangements for a couple of trustees from the Antrim County Jail to help us out. And then the sun came out and it just disappeared. There was nothing we could do about it."

The race will not be rescheduled, McKaig said.

"Cross-country skiing in Michigan is kind of like the golf tour," McKaig said. "There's something going on every weekend. So we're not inclined to step on anybody's toes or have them step our toes. So you get your week and go for it, and if you can't, I guess that's too bad. We'll start planning for next year."

McKaig said it's unknown if the White Pine organization will reimburse the approximately 170 racers who had already entered.

"We've never canceled before, so we're going to have to make some decisions in the next few days," McKaig said.

Earlier in the day, the 40-kilometer race was canceled, but the 20K and 10K were slated to go on as scheduled.

With Tuesday's temperatures soaring into the low 50s, the course lost a big chunk of the base it had gained with Monday's snowfall.

"Mother Nature did not do us any favors," McKaig said.

Before the race was called totally, McKaig was encouraging racers to use their old skis in order to avoid possibly damaging newer ones on bare spots in the course.

"By the golf course is always a problem," McKaig said. "Because it's wide open. So if you don't get more snow in there, it just blows away."

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