(Vernon, Calif) August 6, 2021 – Southern California Curling Center (SCCC) opened its doors last month to enthusiastic crowds eager to experience a facility custom built to showcase the Olympic sport of curling. The 42,000 square foot facility, converted from a warehouse space, is located at 4545 Pacific Blvd, in the city of Vernon, just three miles from the heart of Downtown Los Angeles.
The venue is a first of its kind in California and boasts the most sheets of dedicated curling ice west of the Dakotas. A grand opening weekend is scheduled for August 27th through 29th, featuring an inaugural tournament, ribbon cutting ceremony on Aug 28 at 5:00pm, and a public open house. The open house will take place on Sunday, Aug 29 from 11am-2pm, and is open to anyone who has ever seen the sport and thought “I can probably do that!”. Reservations may be made in advance at www.curling.la/learntocurl.
On hand for the ceremonies will be captain of the 2018 Olympic gold medal team, John Shuster. “Many of us curlers around the country have seen the passion for curling over the past decade in Southern California,” says Shuster, “so we are so excited for all of them to now have a place to curl everyday and share our sport more easily with the rest of the LA area.”
The opportunities for growth beyond Southern California is evident as well. “We are delighted that we have been able to contribute in a small way to the opening of this new facility”, said World Curling Federation President, Kate Caithness. “The huge growth of our sport in the United States is something we have long anticipated, and to now have a dedicated facility in the second biggest market in the country is a significant step forward. We have no doubt that this facility will become a foundation of the curling community in Southern California.”
Southern California Curling Center is a member of USA Curling and the home of Hollywood Curling, a 501(c)-3 non-profit organization dedicated to growing the sport of curling in Southern California. As the only curling club in Los Angeles County, Hollywood Curling’s 125+ members now have a permanent home after 13 years of renting ice at various local ice rinks. The club will host leagues, tournaments, workshops, skills clinics, and more. Southern California Curling Center is also the home of Curling Mexico, the national organization for curling in Mexico. In conjunction with Curling Mexico, Southern California Curling Center will offer programs that will help to grow curling in Southern California and support the Federation in their attempt to grow the sport not only among Angelenos of Mexican descent, but also dedicated curling in Mexico City and beyond.
In addition to serving the local population through leagues, private parties, and corporate events, Southern California Curling Center will attract curlers from all over the world for tournaments & competitive events. The new facility is hosting dozens of Learn to Curl classes this summer, giving Angelenos the opportunity to try the sport in a 90 minute class with one of SCCC’s experienced and encouraging instructors, and provides all of the equipment and stones needed to play a game. The events are open to the public with advanced registration, and are recommended for ages 8+.
Founded by local entrepreneur, former SpaceX engineer, and Michigan Tech alumnus Peter Dohm and his partners, the Southern California Curling Center team brings over 25 years of curling experience to ensure the highest quality experience possible to those looking to curl in Southern California. Joining him in operations are a team of curling professionals with extensive curling operation experience; Matt Gamboa (Vice-President, Marketing; an LA native with a background in entertainment, real estate, and urban planning), and Liza Beres (Vice-President, Operations; a Canadian transplant with over 15 years of production management experience). In addition to the operations team, SCCC has recruited to its advisory board Olympic Gold Medalist John Shuster, and Chad McMullan of Rock Solid Productions, a USA Curling partner company.
About Curling
The sport of curling has seen a tremendous increase in popularity since becoming an Olympic medal sport in 1998. Originating in Scotland, the sport was brought to North America where it has traditionally thrived in Canada and the Midwest. Though curling has been played in California since the 60s, it took Olympic coverage for it to really take off when Americans became fascinated watching televised matches of athletes hurling 42-pound granite stones to a target 150 feet away while teammates sweep the ice in the path of the stone. Clubs have been forming in non-traditional markets like Phoenix, Atlanta, and Charlotte utilizing available hockey ice until they can make the leap to curling-only facilities. The success of the USA Men’s team at the 2018 Winter Olympics capturing the country’s first gold medal in the sport has translated to an explosion of new curlers eager to try the sport for the first time.
About Southern California Curling Center
Southern California Curling Center was formed to create a dedicated home for curling in the Los Angeles region. By bringing business know-how with strategic partnerships, the Center has managed to break through the hurdles that a challenging market like Los Angeles has to offer in order to bring the sport of curling to a new population. We will become a premiere facility for competitors at all experience levels, from the newly inducted to the elite world champion, allowing year-round opportunities to grow and promote the sport, providing a unique and enriching experience for the local community. Curling.la
About Hollywood Curling
Founded in December 2007, Hollywood Curling is one of seven curling clubs in California and the only club in Los Angeles County. The club’s goal is to introduce the sport of curling to the local community, to foster the social and competitive spirit of the sport and to teach and develop curlers to compete at the local, national and international levels. In addition to public Learn to Curl events, Hollywood Curling also hosts skills clinics, tournaments, and a youth program called School of Rocks. Hollywood Curling is a volunteer-run, 501(c)3 non-profit organization and is a member of USA Curling and the Mountain Pacific Curling Association (MoPac). For more information, including event and league schedules, visit hollywoodcurling.org.
For more information:
Liza Beres
Vice President, Operations
Southern California Curling Center
213-349-3864
[email protected]
Curling.la