IU Newsnets Maxwell Glenn reports that the Indiana University Student Foundation cancelled all remaining fall events on the track at the Bill Armstrong Stadium due to unfavorable track conditions.

Andrea Balzano, the Little 500 race director says the decision to cancel was made by staff at the Student Foundation after monitoring the track conditions.

“I would say a lot of riders, including myself, were super bummed about it,” Natalie Skwarcan, IU sophomore, says. “A little confused. Because we hadn’t really heard much about it other than the track… like some of the riders council has said that the track was dry or unfavorable.”

The decision is disappointing to veteran riders but adds a more difficult challenge for rookies.

Skwarcan says, that all riders received an email that rookies will be required to spend more hours on the track come spring break time.

Riders say they are concerned about how it could affect the Little 500 race in the spring.

“I think everyone is kind of wondering, like –where and how,” Skwarcan says. “Where’s Little 5 going to be if the track isn’t fixed? Are they going to fix it?”

Balzano says the conditions should be better by then.

“We still have several months before rookie week begins, and six-ish months before the race itself,” she says. “So, luckily we’ve started working on this early enough.”

IU Newsnet’s Maxwell Glenn reports that the unfavorable track conditions are due in part to construction done to Jerry Yeagley field. The IUSG says the construction, mixed with bad weather, caused the unfavorable track conditions.

Specifically, Balzano says that construction runoff of dirt and sand caused the problem.

Maxwell Glenn will continue updating  this story as Little 500 approaches.