As the Opening Ceremonies for the Empire State Winter Games grows closer, we are finally going to find out if there will be biathlon races this coming weekend! As of this afternoon it was definite that Mt. VanHovenberg is unusable for Nordic or Biathlon races. It appears that all Nordic based races will take place at the Jumps! This all being said, it is raining again and is warmer than it has been all day! Snow is disappearing as we wait. The final decision is being made Thursday morning at 9 a.m. If I were to take a guess as to the outcome of that meeting, it will be that the races WILL take place. I know that ORDA and Lake Placid desperately want them to happen. The snow, although disappearing, is man made and will last longer than natural snow. In our discussions I have been informed if everything falls into place we will have a 1.6 km loop to run our sprint on Saturday and our race on Sunday, whatever format we make it. The diagram we have received from the VanHo staff shows that there is a penalty area just off of the range area, so we might be able to make that work instead of time penalties. But that won’t be determined until race time, if we race!
This evening is listed to be the last time to register for the biathlon races. If you are still interested in racing I would still try to enter. Will you get in, who knows, but it is worth a try. I know that the Cross Country registration just stays open until the last minute. So maybe you will get in. I will ask again as to whether people registering on Thursday can still race.
I will post tomorrow as soon as I hear the results of the morning meeting! Hope we see all of you at the Games on Saturday!
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