FOX RIVER GROVE – The Norge Ski Club in Fox River Grove has held its International Winter Tournament for more than 100 years without canceling or postponing the event, but this year, Mother Nature didn’t cooperate.

Club spokesman Charlie Sedivec said the decision was made Tuesday night to postpone the 112th ski jumping competition because of the upcoming warm and rainy weather, which poses safety concerns.

“It was very, very tough and emotional,” Sedivec said of the decision. “Just because it never has been postponed in 112 years, so to have to, we’re thankful that at least right now we’re not canceling the tournament.”

The competition will be at noon Feb. 11 and 12 at 100 Ski Hill Road, Fox River Grove, Sedivec said. Buttons that already have been bought will be valid for the tournament’s new date. The Ski Jumping and Nordic Combined Junior National Championships will be Feb. 28 through March 4.

Forecasts for Saturday show a high of 57 degrees, with a high of 46 degrees and rain Sunday.

The rain would make it hard for competitors and spectators to see, Sedivec said. He said organizers also would have had to add more snow to the hill or clear it completely – neither of which seemed feasible or safe options in the short amount of time available before the weekend.

On Wednesday morning, Norge Ski Club President Scott Smith and member Fred Sponsler worked in a garage at the site to make signs to announce the postponement.

“We’ve snowed everything twice already,” Smith said. “The weather just hasn’t cooperated.”

Eight snow guns help create snow on the hill, but temperatures have to be below 30 degrees before the machines are turned on, Smith said.

In past years when snow was scarce, the club has shipped in snow by train, used ice scrapping from the Polar Dome Ice Arena in East Dundee and bought 30 tons of ice from the Jefferson Ice Co., Sedivec has said.

Another problem that led to the postponement is that melting snow and rain causes water to pool at the bottom of the hill, making it unsafe for jumpers to land. Some water already was pooling at the bottom of the 150-foot-tall jump Wednesday, and patches of grass and mud could be seen around the site.

As soon as temperatures become cold enough, the snow guns will start, Smith said. He said it’s too hard to say whether February weather also will pose a problem for the tournament.

“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we get there,” Smith said. “Because normally that snow stays on there until the end of March.”

The tournament draws in crowds of more than 6,000 people if the weather is nice, Smith said. He said the postponement actually might draw in more spectators because football will have ended.

About 40 competitors from around the world were scheduled to participate, and Smith said he hopes those coming from other countries such as Finland and Slovenia still will make it.

Feb. 11 is the junior competition for jumpers age 17 and younger, and Feb. 12 is the main event.

“Having never canceled in 112 years, I know we’re going to do everything in the world we can to keep that alive,” Sedivec said.

Tickets still are available, and admission is $15 at the gate, $11 online and $10 in advance at local businesses. For information, visit www.norgeskiclub.com.