Still only one winner in Nenana Ice Classic

Published Thursday, May 8, 2008

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The Nenana Ice Classic tripod sits on the Tanana River in Nenana on April 15, 2008. According to Ice Classic officials, the tripod tipped at 10:53 p.m. AST  May 7, 2008.  This year's jackpot is $303,895.

It’s taking almost as long to figure out who won the Nenana Ice Classic as it did for the Tanana River ice to go out.

Ice Classic officials continued poring over tickets on Thursday to determine who will split the $303,895 jackpot in Alaska’s richest guessing game.

The ice went out at 10:53 p.m. Alaska Standard Time on Tuesday when a wooden tripod floated down the Tanana River on a sheet of ice and tripped a clock on shore. Workers have spent the last two days double-checking tickets by comparing each of the 243,776 tickets that were sold to a printout of guesses.

As of Thursday, only one winner — a woman from Anchorage — has been identified, though officials won’t release her name until they have double-checked all the tickets sold this year to confirm she is the sole winner.

The woman called the Ice Classic office on Wednesday morning, administrative assistant Amanda Wubbold said.

“She asked when the ice officially went out and I told her and she said, ‘I’m one of the winners,’ ” Wubbold said. “I told her I’d contact her again when we had all the winners confirmed.”

When that will be, like the Ice Classic itself, is anybody’s guess

“We’re still looking at maybe another day or two,” Wubbold said from the Ice Classic office in Nenana on Thursday just before 11 a.m. “There’s a lot to do and we’re limited on workers right now.”

Checks will be mailed to the winner(s) on June 1.

Comments

  1. JayT
    5/8/2008, 6:37 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    Maybe it's time to crash into the world of computers for the Ice Classic

  2. JayT
    5/8/2008, 6:43 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    Spend some of that money you keep every year. COMPUTERIZE and it'll take two minutes instead of two weeks to find winners.

  3. flickerbrain
    5/8/2008, 7:42 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    But waiting to find out is half the fun... It's Alaska, the only things that move at light speed are all those phone calls going through the fiber lines, and drivers that have to beat me to the next red light.

  4. corinne
    5/8/2008, 7:52 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    No no; I kinda like JayT's idea. Except...it's time to crash into the computers to hook it up with my guesses...!

  5. honeyhi
    5/8/2008, 9:50 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    the Ice Classic website really needs to be updated. Its kind of 90's, dont you think?

  6. st
    5/8/2008, 9:53 p.m.
    Suggest removal

    Must have had more workers in the past -- never took this long before to get the winners...

  7. ATC
    5/9/2008, 2:41 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    The payout isn't until June...what's the hurry?

  8. lady_warrior
    5/9/2008, 7:08 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    Leave the tradition alone. Payout isn't until June 1st and it ain't you. Like usual some people want changes where they don't belong.

  9. akuzilvak
    5/9/2008, 8:28 a.m.
    Suggest removal

    Hello woman from Anchorage... ARE YOU MARRIED? ;)

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