Spokane named host city for 2020 national curling championships
![United States skip John Shuster, center, watches teammates John Landsteiner, left, and Matt Hamilton sweep the ice during a men’s semifinal curling match against Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Gangneung, South Korea, on Feb. 22. USA Curling is coming to Spokane in 2022. (Natacha Pisarenko / Associated Press)](https://thumb.spokesman.com/rSSo2uecRhx5jocaX64hpbQAkmY=/400x0/media.spokesman.com/photos/2018/10/31/ngchang_Olympics_Curling_Men.JPG.jpg)
Get out your brooms and brushes. USA Curling’s top event, the men’s and women’s national championships, is set to take place in the Spokane area in 2020.
Spokane was named Wednesday on the Team USA website as the host city of the event, which will take place Feb. 8-15 at Eastern Washington University’s recreation center in Cheney.
“We are excited to be bringing these championships to Spokane, not only because we are confident it will be a world-class event, but also because we constantly strive to help curling thrive in new areas around the country,” Rick Patzke, USA Curling chief executive office said in a news release. “The genesis of the Lilac City Curling Club is rooted in exposure of the sport in the 2010 Olympics and knowledge from Spokanites who had curled there previously. The support from the Spokane Sports Commission and Eastern Washington University make this a unique opportunity to bring the best curling athletes in the USA there to showcase the sport, and we can’t wait for February 2020.”
The weeklong national event will feature the top men’s and women’s teams in the country and helps determine Team USA for the subsequent world championships, the release said. The 2020 World Women’s Championship will take place in Canada while the 2020 World Men’s Championship heads to the sport’s home country, Scotland.
“Spokane is proud to be chosen for USA Curling National Championships in 2020,” Eric Sawyer, CEO of Spokane Sports Commission, said in the release. “What an exciting time for the sport, with continuous growth and popularity worldwide. Spokane will pair nicely with the crowd-pleasing culture of curling.”
Spokane will also host the USA Track and Field National Club Cross Country Championships in December.