U.S. Olympic Curling Trials Heading to Omaha

USA Curling has decided not to mess with success, heading back to Omaha, Nebraska, for the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team Trials after a successful event before the 2018 Olympic Winter Games.

The trials will return to the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Baxter Arena. It will be hosted by the Omaha Sports Commission, in partnership with the Aksarben Curling Club.

“The relationships and trust we have built with USOPC national governing bodies such as USA Curling have been key to being selected as the host city for trials events,” said Josh Todd, executive director of the Omaha Sports Commission. “The 2022 U.S. Olympic Trials for Curling provides Omaha another chance to demonstrate our amazing community support through sport development, sponsorships and ticket sales.”

The trials will take place November 13–21, 2021, at the 7,800-seat Baxter Arena, which hosted the 2018 trials as well as the fourth season of Curling Night in America in 2017. The OSC also hosted the Curling World Cup in 2018 at nearby Ralston Arena.

“UNO Athletics and Baxter Arena are extremely happy to partner with the Omaha Sports Commission and USA Curling to once again host this event,” said Mike Kemp, UNO’s senior associate athletic director and the general manager of Baxter Arena. “The success of the 2018 Olympic Trials for Curling was evident by the way that the Omaha fans supported the trials through their attendance, and the atmosphere that they created.”
After the 2017 Trials in Omaha, the U.S. men’s curling team went on to win the gold medal at the 2018 Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. It was the first gold medal won by a U.S. curling team.

“The return of trials to Omaha is exciting both for competitors and the great fans that come out to support curling,” said John Shuster, captain of the gold-medal winning team. “Between the 2018 Olympic Trials and the World Cup, curlers really enjoyed their time there and I think the people of Omaha are really starting to get more into curling.”