Eason Invite canceled

More than 1,100 athletes were expected to compete

For the first time in its 20-year history, the Eason Invite has been canceled. The cause, of course, was the snowy, cold weather.

Meet director Tuck Gionet decided to cancel the meet at about 4:45 a.m. this morning. The invite was expected to include more than 1,100 athletes from about 50 teams competing in 39 events at Snohomish High School.

Here is the content of an e-mail Gionet sent to coaches and officials at 5:21 a.m.:

Good morning
I regret to inform all of you that the 2008 Eason Invitational has been cancelled. There is 2” of snow on the track and 3” of snow in the throwing and warmup areas. The forecast for 10:00 AM is light snow/rain mix. The problems that we face are snow removal as well as conditions in the throwing areas that are not acceptable. There is also no place for athletes to adequately warm up for their events. The forecast throughout the day also is not conducive to having your athletes be out all day for a meet.
Thanks for your time and I appreciate your understanding.
Tuck Gionet
Snohomish HS

It's unclear if the Eason Invite will be rescheduled. Gionet said there's a chance he'll move it to May 3.