Editing Spokane, Washington (section)

==Sports==
{{Main|Sports in Spokane, Washington}}
[[File:SpokaneArenaSECorner.jpg|thumb|right|alt=The Spokane Arena sports venue|The Spokane Veterans Memorial Arena]]

Spokane is close to dozens of lakes and rivers for outdoor sports and recreation. People use these for swimming, boating, kayaking, rafting, and fishing. Nearby mountains provide for skiing, hiking, biking and sightseeing.<ref name="LiveAndLaunch">{{cite news |title=100 best places to live and launch |publisher=CNNMoney |date=July 2, 2008 |url=https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2008/fsb/0803/gallery.best_places_to_launch.fsb/77.html| access-date = December 7, 2014}}</ref>
The Spokane region's professional and semi-professional sports teams include the [[Spokane Indians]] in Minor League Baseball and the [[Spokane Chiefs]] in junior ice hockey.<ref name="Teams">{{cite web |title=Recreation & Sports |publisher=Experience Spokane |url=http://www.experiencespokane.com/sports/ |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=December 28, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081228151206/http://experiencespokane.com/sports/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Collegiate sports in Spokane focus on the local teams such as the [[Gonzaga Bulldogs]] who compete in the [[National Collegiate Athletic Association|NCAA]]'s [[Division I (NCAA)|Division I]] [[West Coast Conference]] and the [[Whitworth Pirates]] playing in the [[Division III (NCAA)|Division III]] [[Northwest Conference]] and local media covers other regional teams, including the [[Eastern Washington Eagles]], [[Washington State Cougars]], and the [[Idaho Vandals]].<ref name="Teams"/>

===Baseball===
The Spokane Indians located in the suburb [[Spokane Valley, Washington|Spokane Valley]], are a [[High-A|Class High-A]] baseball team in the [[Northwest League]] (NWL) and have been a [[farm team]] of the [[Colorado Rockies]] since 2021.<ref>{{cite web |title=Spokane Indians receive invitation to become High-A affiliate of Colorado Rockies  |date=December 10, 2020 |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2020/dec/10/spokane-indians-receive-invitation-to-become-high-/ |publisher=The Spokesman-Review| access-date= December 10, 2020}}</ref> The Indians play their home games at the 6,803-seat [[Avista Stadium]] and have won seven NWL titles since their Short-Season-A debut in 1982. Prior to 1982, the Indians played at the [[Triple-A (baseball)|Triple-A level]]. The team achieved considerable success in the early 1970s, winning the [[Pacific Coast League]] championship in 1970, and having a 94–52 record.<ref>{{cite web |title=1970 PCL Championship Team |url=https://www.milb.com/news/gcs-11565988 |publisher=Minor League Baseball| access-date= November 5, 2014}}</ref> In the 1920s and 1930s the Spokane City League, a semiprofessional baseball league of teams of the Inland Empire, reached its peak.<ref>Popejoy (2010), p.127</ref>

===Hockey===
The Spokane Chiefs are a junior ice hockey team that play in the [[Canadian Hockey League]]'s [[Western Hockey League]].<ref name="CBC">{{cite news |title=Spokane Chiefs win Memorial Cup |publisher=CBC |date=May 25, 2008 |url=http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/spokane-chiefs-win-memorial-cup-1.757728| access-date = November 6, 2014}}</ref> They play their home games in the Spokane Arena and have a regional rivalry with the [[Tri-City Americans]]. They have won the CHL's top prize, the [[Memorial Cup]], two times in club history, first in 1991 and again in 2008.<ref name="CBC"/>

===Soccer===
Spokane is host to [[United Soccer League]] professional men's [[USL League One]] ([[Spokane Velocity|Spokane Velocity FC]]), a women's pre-professional [[USL W League]] team, as well as a women's professional [[USL Super League]] team ([[Spokane Zephyr FC]]).<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=New soccer club owners in Spokane announce addition of professional women's team {{!}} The Spokesman-Review |url=https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2022/oct/07/new-soccer-club-owners-in-spokane-announce-additio/ |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=www.spokesman.com|date=October 8, 2022 }}</ref> They play their home games in [[One Spokane Stadium|ONE Spokane Stadium]].

===Major events===
The [[Spokane Arena]] is the city's premier sports venue. In the years since the Spokane Arena opened, it has played host to several major sporting events. The first major event was the [[1998 Memorial Cup]], the championship game of the Canadian Hockey League.<ref>{{cite web |last=Knight |first=Stephen |title=1998 Memorial Cup Notebook |publisher=Canoe Inc. |date=May 8, 1998 |url=http://www.canoe.ca/MemorialCup98/may17_memnotes_smk.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721195859/http://www.canoe.ca/MemorialCup98/may17_memnotes_smk.html |url-status=usurped |archive-date=July 21, 2012 |access-date=December 7, 2014 }}</ref> Four years later in 2002, the city hosted the [[2002 Skate America]] figure skating competition<ref>{{cite web |title=2002 Smart Ones Skate America |publisher=U.S. Figure Skating |date=October 27, 2002 |url=http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_details.asp?id=25110| access-date = December 7, 2014| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20141015234359/http://www.usfigureskating.org/event_details.asp?id=25110| archive-date = October 15, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and then the [[2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships]] in the Spokane Arena.<ref name="FigureSkating">{{cite web |title=Spokane, Wash., Selected to Host 2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships |publisher=U.S. Figure Skating |date=May 5, 2008 |url=http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=41450 |access-date=December 7, 2014 |archive-date=June 13, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110613143932/http://www.usfigureskating.org/Story.asp?id=41450 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The latter event set an attendance record, selling nearly 155,000 tickets. Spokane later hosted the [[2010 U.S. Figure Skating Championships]]<ref name="FigureSkating" /> – ending eighteen days before the start of the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] in [[Vancouver|Vancouver, British Columbia]] and then the [[2016 Team Challenge Cup]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Clouse |first=Thomas |title=Spokane lands another major skating event: Team Challenge Cup |newspaper=The Spokesman-Review |date=September 24, 2015 |url=http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2015/sep/24/sport-counts-on-its-biggest-fans/| access-date = August 30, 2016}}</ref> Spokane is also home to [[The Podium (sports facility)|The Podium]] indoor hydraulic track and event space, and multi-use [[One Spokane Stadium]].