New Southern California Curling Facility

An April 2020 announcement of a new dedicate3d curling facility being built in the Los Angeles County city of Vernon. See also more about California Skating, about U.S. Skating, and about Skating World Wide.

(Vernon, Calif) April 15, 2020 -

Southern California Curling Center announces location, agreement to launch Southern California’s first ice facility dedicated to Olympic and Paralympic sport of curling.

The sport of curling is not just having a “moment.” It is a movement that continues to grow after 2018 saw the first ever gold medal for Team USA during the Winter Olympic Games. Capitalizing on the wave of enthusiasm and interest in the sport, the Southern California Curling Center (SCCC) has announced its primary goal to build Southern California’s first six sheet curling facility, aimed at unleashing the existing demand for the sport of curling and bringing it to a new population. SCCC aims to 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.

The Southern California Curling Center (SCCC) signed a lease on April 15, 2020 to occupy a vacant warehouse at 4545 Pacific Blvd, in the city of Vernon, just three miles from the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The City of Vernon approved the proposed usage to adapt the 42,000 square foot warehouse space into a curling facility open to the public year round. In addition to serving the local population through leagues, private parties, and corporate events, the SCCC will attract competitive events and curlers from all over the world.

Hollywood Curling, a non-profit sports club, has partnered with SCCC to bring their curling operations to the new facility. As the only curling club in Los Angeles county, Hollywood Curling’s 150+ members will have a permanent home after 13 years of renting ice at various local ice rinks. This partnership comes at an opportune time for the club, who have found themselves without ice after the permanent closure of Ice Station Valencia in March, their primary location for the past six years.

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.

Said Dohm “We are excited to bring the first dedicated curling facility to Southern California. As a sport for all ages to play and learn, we aim to provide an inclusive, family friendly atmosphere that can introduce Angelenos to the exciting sport and culture of curling. We will be hosting plenty of competitions, from friendly leagues for all to participate in, to corporate leagues and events, and all the way to highest level players competing in professional events at SCCC. The demand for the sport has been steadily increasing and we believe the Southern California Curling Center can be the catalyst for curling in Southern California to really explode.”

The Southern California Curling Center (SCCC) will not only be the first of its kind in Southern California, but the six sheet facility will be the largest in North America to make use of patented ICEGRID® system from Germany based Ice Sports Solar (ISS), a leading ice rink designer/manufacturer in Europe promising exceptional ice quality required for the sport for over 40 years. In 2018, ISS became an official ice technology partner of USA Curling, the national governing body for the sport in the United States, and has installed word class ice facilities across the globe, including various Curling World Championship events and the Beijing 2022 Olympic curling facility. This partnership with ISS will enable Southern California Curling Center to install quality ice to showcase the best that the sport can offer.

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 the 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.

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