Cheney set to host USA Curling National Championships for first time ever

January 29, 2020 5:10 PM

Taylor Graham,

Posted: January 29, 2020 5:10 PM

Updated: January 29, 2020 6:45 PM

by Taylor Graham

CHENEY, Wash. — Come next weekend, the Inland Northwest will get a front row seat to the sport that seems to captivate the country every four years –despite being played by athletes year-round. Curling is set to take over Cheney, which will play host to the USA Curling National Championships for the first time ever.

Starting February 8, 100 of the best curlers in the country – including members of the U.S. Gold Medal team – will descend on the Eastern Washington University Recreation Center for the week-long event that will help determine who will compete for Team USA in the World Championships.

“What you’ll see at nationals coming up will be the best of the U.S.,” said Matt Moore, who’s been curling for six and a half years and serves as president for the Inland Northwest Curling Club.

According to Moore, curling ice is hard to come by in the Inland Northwest, so this event is huge for the area.

“Every time I talk about curling here, there’s a big ‘wait, you do that here?!,'” Moore said.

Moore’s club is made up of 76 official members, who typically curl from March through June, then again from August to October – whenever they can get on the ice at the Frontier Ice Arena in Coeur d’Alene. With that in mind, he’s not sure how many more members the club can take on.

“You know, more interest is great – we want the exposure, but we are likely going to be somewhat challenged with the amount of interest that we’re going to get,” said Moore.

Nevertheless, Moore is to introduce hundreds of people to the sport and grow the family he’s found in curling.

“It’s that first stone. After that first stone, they know right away that this is the sport for them,” he said. “It’s a community center in a lot of places in Canada. I think it’s an opportunity for the Spokane area to have that sort of community as well.”

For a full list of events and ticket pricing, click here.