Cyclocross

The Cyclocross National Championship is being held in Lakewood at Fort Steilacoom Park. This might not be as significant as when University Place hosted the USGA's U.S. Open, but I'm honestly a little disappointed that we aren't making a bigger deal out of the event.


Lakewood is not a big city. As such, there aren't many opportunities to draw attention to itself. Hosting a national championship, even if the sport lacks the draw of golf, should be considered to be a very big deal. If Lakewood is on the national stage, they should embrace it. There won't be many similar opportunities like this.

Personally, I would like to see Lakewood try to establish a stronger relationship with USA Cycling. If Lakewood tries to promote the sport, USA Cycling can help grow Cyclocross. Similarly, if USA Cycling established Lakewood as a legitimate Cyclocross destination, Lakewood could effectively see a boost to both tourism and marketing.

While larger cities can potentially provide a better base attendance at events, these events aren't as likely to be appreciated. Major cities have hosted larger events. Lakewood isn't too small. It is also located within reasonable distances to larger cities such as Tacoma. Even some Seattleites are likely to come down to see the championship.

Lakewood could potentially use this event to better associate itself with the cycling community. They should try to regularly host events. They should even try to bring back the national championship in the future. I see a lot of potential for Lakewood to become a popular cyclocross destination. This might not be as valuable as becoming a golf destination, but it's not something that should be ignored.