LAFAYETTE, Colo. — Rock Creek Curling in Lafayette is hosting the U.S. Mixed Doubles Olympic Team Trials, giving athletes a chance to secure a spot in the Curling World Championships and the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.
Mimi Stevinson, co-owner of Rock Creek Curling, didn’t think she’d be hosting such a large event so soon.
“Back in 2018, we were literally sitting around the kitchen table saying, ‘How can we build something that will help us grow a sport that we love and do things like this?’” said Stevinson. “We thought it might be a little bit further off, but we were built to host something like this.”
Olympic hopefuls and married couple, Clare Moores and Lance Wheeler, have lived in Golden for over 10 years and have seen how the Colorado curling community has boomed after The Denver Curling Center was established in Golden in 2015 and Rock Creek Curling in 2021.
“Out of all the teams in the Olympic trials, there's two from Colorado,” said Wheeler. “The rest are from Minnesota and Wisconsin. So I think that says a lot about Colorado curling and what Rock Creek has brought to the community.”
Dean Gemmell, the CEO of USA Curling, believes Rock Creek Curling is a perfect example of what a dedicated curling facility should look like.
“This is maybe the nicest curling facility in the country,” said Gemmell. “The Denver curling community has exploded, and we need to see that in more metros around the country.”
Qualifiers for the Olympics have already started, meaning there will soon be more eyes on the sport than ever. Gemmell wants USA Curling to take advantage of the opportunity.
“The thing I would tell any community, state, or local government is that a curling club is a great community asset,” said Gemmell. “It can be used by everybody. It's a sport that's accessible for all ages. What we really want is more people to consider a curling club as part of their recreational offering.”
The Mixed Doubles Team Trials go from Feb. 17 through Feb. 23. The winning team will represent the United States in the world championships in April. They will have the opportunity to qualify for the 2026 Olympic Games, depending on their results.
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