CORONAVIRUS: Iron Wood Throws Classic, annual HOTSHOT soccer tournament canceled for 2020

Iron Wood Throws Classic and HOTSHOT soccer tournament canceled

Now, you can add two more community events to the long list of activities canceled this spring due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Due to safety concerns related to the pandemic, the Iron Wood Throws Classic — renamed to the Jarred Rome Classic Meet — and scheduled for later this month at the Iron Wood Throws Center in Rathdrum was canceled.

The event, scheduled for May 29-30, drew the top prep athletes as well as post-collegiate athletes attempting to make the U.S. national team in the javelin, discus, hammer throw and discus to the area. Rome, who passed away at 42 in September, was an Olympian in 2004 and 2012 and co-founded the Classic alongside Bart Templeman in 2014.

“The USATF (United States Track and Field) said they would not sponsor anything, and they paid for the kids to travel to the meet,” Templeman said. “They said no way, so that’s not going to happen this year. Once they moved the Olympics to 2021, some of those athletes were going to be training for the trials. It was really important to a lot of them.”

In addition, the Bill Eisenwinter HOTSHOT soccer tournament, scheduled for May 29-31 was also canceled.

“With Washington, Oregon and Canada still under restrictions, it would be tough,” Timbers-Thorns North FC Director of Competition Matt Ruchti said. “We’d get teams from Idaho and some Montana teams, but we’ve had a large number of Canadian teams that’s not going to happen this year. Where we’re at right now, we’re still contemplating other events, but it’s hard to do it now. It’s really hard to plan anything right now.”

The event was previously postponed from May 8-10.

“The decision to cancel Hot Shot was not taken lightly,” Timbers-Thorns North FC Technical Director Mike Thompson said. “The tournament has been held annually since 1991 and has grown into an event that boasts our local community while providing a fun, competitive soccer environment for teams all over the Inland Northwest, Canada and beyond. In addition, it is a major revenue source for the club and that loss is something the club will feel going forward.”

Due to the pandemic, the annual Iron Wood Throws Clinic will be online only according to Templeman. Details will available soon on the program’s website (www.ironwoodcamp.com).

“With NIC being closed, nobody will be able to stay at the dorm,” Templeman said. “So we’re going to have to pass on that and go online with that. We’re going to have our top four coaches in each event make a presentation online, and then take five evaluations and break down their throws. All of that will go through the website, and it’s a really new thing for us.”