Sports

USA Curling slides into new house in Minnesota

The TCO Performance Center in Eagan is scheduled to open in March, 2018.
The Minnesota Vikings' practice facility, the TCO Performance Center in Eagan, is seen in 2017. The new USA Curling headquarters will relocate from Wisconsin to the Viking Lakes campus in Eagan, Minn.
Courtney Perry for MPR News 2017

Officials with the national governing body of the Olympic sport of curling announced Friday it will move its headquarters from Stevens Point, Wis., to Minnesota. 

The new home of USA Curling will be located at the Viking Lakes campus in Eagan, Minn. 

“The location in particular is so easy to get excited about. It's the opportunity to be on the campus with the Vikings — a great NFL organization, great leadership,” said USA Curling CEO Jeff Plush.

Among other nearby businesses at the Eagan site are the Minnesota Vikings headquarters and training facility as well as the Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center.

The United States is currently competing in the LGT World Women’s Curling Championship in Calgary, Canada.

Plush said he hopes moving his organization’s headquarters will raise the sport’s profile in the Midwest. And with the 2022 Olympics in just about 10 months, Plush said he sees opportunity for transformation.

"It's a great time now because the last year's been really dark,” he said. “Hopefully, [we’ll] be part of a great community, hopefully add value to that community and get people thinking about sport and recreation and spending time together again."