Weather delays Rookie Week events

With Little 500 Rookie Week underway, icy conditions delayed what would have been the first-year riders’ first time on the track at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nOn Monday rookie riders watched a video on the history and tradition of the Little 500 and took a written test on the rules. Tuesday was supposed to be the first day on the track, but race officials decided to cancel the day’s events. \n“Speaking with the head maintenance guys at the track, we just determined that it wasn’t really possible to be out on the track in the freezing rain,” Little 500 Race Director Matt Ewing said. “We tried to roll the track but we couldn’t get it in enough shape to ride on.”\nRookie Week is an eight-day training period for first-year riders, designed to educate riders on race rules, racing technique and track safety. Rookie Week started on Monday Feb. 11 and runs through Feb. 20. \nWhile Ewing said the cancellation of Tuesday’s events was not ideal, he is still confident that the Little 500 schedule of events will remain the same and all Rookie Week events will be completed by Feb. 21, when the track opens to non-rookie riders. \n“The forecast is supposed to warm up in the next few days, so if we can get out on the track by Thursday the schedule should be alright,” he said. “If we’re on the track on Thursday and Friday of this week, and then Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, it will still be a full week for the rookie riders.”\nThe IU Student Foundation Riders Council, a group of experienced riders, coordinate Rookie Week by teaching rookie riders about the fundamentals of the race.\nRiders Council member and Phi Kappa Psi rider Mike Segal said one benefit of Rookie Week is the ability to mix indoor and outdoor activities. Segal said the Metz Lounge under the track is available to show past race videos to the rookies. However on Tuesday, the weather would not even allow for that.\n“The parking lot by the track all the way down the stairs to the Metz Lounge was just full of ice,” Segal said. \nWomen’s Riders Council president and Alpha Chi Omega rider Nattie Deinlein also said she is confident they will be able to complete the week’s activities, but she also stressed that the Riders Council will be able to help the rookies throughout the Little 500 season.\n“The Riders Council maintains our presence on the track throughout the season,” she said. “Our goal is to make sure that the rookies still feel comfortable as the season progresses. We still feel that the rookies will be more than competent.”