2012 Club Nationals begin Saturday in Mankato

Twenty of the top curling teams in the U.S. will battle in a weeklong competition to determine the top club teams for the season as the 2012 USA Curling Club National Championships begin this weekend in Mankato, Minn.

The five-sheet Mankato Curling Club will host the event for the third time since it began in 2005. A welcome reception followed by practice will kick off the action on Saturday afternoon beginning at 4 p.m. The first round of action gets underway at 8 a.m. Sunday with the first women's draw. The opening ceremony will take place at 3 p.m. on Sunday.

The Club Nationals field features 10 men's and 10 women's teams representing their respective clubs and regions. Teams advance to the Club Nationals via regional playdown events. Teams will play in a round robin with the top four teams from each division advancing to the playoffs. This event does not lead to a world championship. The playoffs begin Friday, March 9 followed by the medal games on March 10. A complete draw schedule and live end-by-end scoring, courtesy of CurlingZone, can be found at www.usacurl.org/curlingrocks in the scoreboard section.

To read the complete press release, click on the PDF below.