Itching for the real thing

After suffering through more than three hot, long and very dry summer months, waiting another four hours on a Saturday morning to fire up their sleds was evident torture to the snowmobile enthusiasts gathered at the Kootenai County Fairgrounds.

The third annual Bluegrass Snowmobile Grass Drags got off to a late start Saturday. As the more than 80 racers and their families and fans waited for the racing to begin, some perused snow season merchandise – expensive bib overalls and parkas, gloves and shiny new helmets.

A woman sat on one of the brand-new sleds up for sale, gripping the throttle with a faraway look in her eyes. Though the weather was T-shirt warm and the grass was green, most of the conversation at Saturday’s drag races centered on snow.

“This is a winter sport,” racer Courtni Osmun said. “We’re just trying to make it year-round.”

Coeur d’Alene Snowmobile Club president Larry Waddell said the grass drags are a warm-up for the snowmobile season, which runs from about Thanksgiving to mid-May. It also serves as the club’s major fund-raiser, with some of the proceeds benefiting the Children’s Village.

“About this time of year, everybody gets excited,” snowmobiler Donna Adickes said. She and other members of the Coeur d’Alene Snowmobile Club are hoping their annual grass drag event grows to rival some of the biggest and baddest grass drag races across the country.

The Bluegrass event, which continues today, draws racers and teams from throughout the Northwest and Canada. Races are broken into children’s, men’s and women’s classes, and into the categories of stock and modified – some with the added boost of nitrous oxide.

As the first racers lined up, an announcer delivered pre-race commentary, interviewing riders and discussing the advantage of long-track sleds versus short-track sleds and that of smaller-size riders versus the more ample.

The race was over in a matter of seconds as the sleds, gliding over the grass as fast as 80 mph, shot toward the finish line in a cloud of dust.

Destinee Reasor, 12, of Coeur d’Alene, watched from the sidelines as she waited for her turn. Destinee, who has been riding since age 5, said grass and snow ride about the same.

She has a preference, though.

“I like the snow,” she said.