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Mother Nature has forced the 2023 Toboggan National Comittee to pivot once again, in the name of safety, prompting a decision to move all racing to Sunday, Feb. 5. The National Weather Service continues to call for temperatures well below zero Saturday morning, with wind chills as low as -40F at 7 a.m. The freeze continues throughout the day, with wind chills below -19F until at least 4 p.m. By 8 a.m. But by Sunday at 8 a.m. the air temperature and wind chill will both be above zero.
In order to run a one-day event, an abbreviated race format is necessary and will allow for preliminary runs, finals and awards by the end of the day Sunday.
Team check-in and toboggan inspections will commence as follows. Team captains and racers can pick up bibs and bracelets, sign waivers and have their toboggans inspected Friday, from noon to 7 p.m. and Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Tobogganville.
Racing will begin an hour earlier than scheduled on Sunday, starting with 2-Person teams at 8 a.m. All teams will take ONE run to determine standings in the finals.
Between 8 and 10 a.m., 2-Person and 3-Person teams will take their runs, with 2-Person teams going first. Beginning at 10 a.m., 4-Person teams will take their single runs, followed by Experimental teams, with prelims concluding around noon.
There will be a break until 1 p.m. and then finals will begin, with 2-Person and 3-Person teams taking two runs each, followed by 4-Person and Experimental teams.
The finals will consist of the 40 fastest 2-Person teams, 40 fastest 3-Person teams, 50 fastest 4-Person teams and 25% of the fastest Experimental teams.
As has been mentioned in earlier news, racing is not happening on the Jack Williams Toboggan Chute as the ice on Hosmer Pond has not been deemed safe. Teams will still line up alongside the original chute, but head the opposite direction at the top of the stairs to the new launcher and chute recently built on the snow.
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