Cross-country skiers hoping to qualify for the Arctic Winter Games will have to wait a few more weeks to find out if they made the cut for the 24 available spots.

Thats because the classic technique race was postponed, until Saturday Jan. 12.

The race is one of the two events in the annual Don Sumanik Memorial Race as well as a trial race for the Games.

The classic technique race was supposed to be held last Saturday, but had to be cancelled due to a lack of snow. The snowfall over the weekend allowed for the freestyle ski event to proceed as planned for Sunday afternoon, which was also a trial race for skiers interested in going to the Games.

'It (the freestyle technique) is an important race for us,' said Alain Masson, the coach of the Yukon Ski Team. 'It is a selection race for Arctic Winter Games and for skiers to qualify for the Western Canadian Championships and National Championships, so it is important for them to do well.'

The race, sponsored by the Grey Mountain Lions Club, is a two-day total time event. Skiers hoping to qualify for the Games have to compete in the classic as well as freestyle before both times are tallied up for the selection process.

There are seven category options for participants at this event, but on Sunday, no skiers competed in the Atom (mixed), which features participants born in 2000 or later or the Special Olympics, which is an open to all ages.

More than 40 skiers took part in this event. This year, variations of the Canada Winter Games loops were used to allow recreational skiers more use of the trials during the time of the race. Courses were run through the main stadium area, while skiers competing in the open class race had to make two loops through the stadium.

Winners of this year's freestyle race included Leif Blake, who competed in the Pee Wee boys' category and finished with a time of 0:05:33.6, while Natalie Hynes won the Pee Wee girls' race with a total time of 0:05:32.8. Caelan McLean finished with the fastest time in the boys' Mini Midget category 0:12:38.6, while Eliza Paul had the best time in the Mini Midget girls' group at 0:13:48.1. In the open male category Colin Abbott was the winner, finishing the two laps at 0:23:36.8, while Emily Nishikawa had the best time in the open female group at 0:27:11.4. Janelle Greer's time of 0:13:44.3 was the quickest for the Juvenile girls' group and Knute Johnsgaard finished with the best time for the boys' at 0:13:16.0. In the Midget girls' category Dahria Beatty time of 0:13:58.5 was the fastest, while Fabian Brook's posted time of 0:14:51.8 was enough for him to get the win in the boys' category.

Masson said there are a few advantages for members of his team to race in events like the Don Sumanik Memorial.

'These races are well organized,' he said. 'We have standards that are similar to other races outside, so when they go out to a competition anywhere else they will see the same setup.'

Masson was pleased with how his skiers raced and said that this is the best way for them to prepare for upcoming events, such as the Arctic Winter Games.

'It is a good opportunity to challenge themselves when going into an event that is important and try to deal with the pressure and stress associated with selection races,' he said.

Lee Hawkings finished fifth in the open male category, which was comprised of skiers who were born in 1991 and later. Hawkings, who is a member of the Yukon Ski Team, hopes to qualify for the National Championships and earned CPL points for the time he posted in the race.

He said he did all right at the event.

'I could be more pleased, but it was okay,' he said. 'I think I went too hard on the first lap and then I just kind of died on the second, but I did fine.'

Hawkings trains year-round for the sport and is currently skiing several times a week for practice. Hawkings said he is pleased with the progress he has made over this year.

'It is going pretty good,' he said. 'I have been training a lot since last spring, so it is kind of paying off.'

Hawkings plans on competing in the classic technique race when it is held mid-January.

In other cross-country skiing news, Cross-Country Yukon will be holding a special general meeting to approve a change to a membership bylaw on Jan. 16, 2008 at 7:00 at Mt. McIntyre Recreation Centre. For more information call the administration office for Cross-Country Yukon at 633-8420.