Tucson, Arizona

==Sports==
Tucson is not represented in any of the [[Major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada|five major sports leagues of the United States]]: the [[NFL]], [[MLB]], the [[NBA]], the [[NHL]], or [[MLS]].

The [[University of Arizona|University of Arizona's]] athletic teams, most notably the [[Arizona Wildcats men's basketball|men's basketball]], [[Arizona Wildcats football|football]], [[Arizona Wildcats baseball|baseball]], and [[Arizona Wildcats softball|softball]] teams, have strong local interest. The men's basketball team, formerly coached by Hall of Fame head coach [[Lute Olson]] and currently coached by [[Tommy Lloyd]], made 25 straight [[NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship|NCAA Tournaments]] appearances (1985–2009) and won the 1997 National Championship. Arizona's softball team has reached the NCAA National Championship game 12 times and has won 8 times, most recently in 2007. Arizona's baseball team won NCAA National Championships in 1976, 1980, 1986, and 2012. The university's [[Arizona Wildcats#Swimming|swim teams]] have gained international recognition, with swimmers coming from as far as Japan and Africa to train with coach [[Frank Busch]], who has also worked with the U.S. Olympic swim team for numerous years. Both men's and women's swim teams won the 2008 [[NCAA]] National Championships.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.collegemedianetwork.com/search/Arizona+Icecats |title=College News Updates |publisher=College Media Networks |access-date=January 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325133131/http://news.collegemedianetwork.com/search/Arizona+Icecats |archive-date=March 25, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Tucson May 2019 22 (Tucson Arena at the Tucson Convention Center).jpg|thumb|Tucson Arena is home to the [[Tucson Roadrunners]] and [[Tucson Sugar Skulls]]]]

In [[ice hockey]], the [[Tucson Roadrunners]] of the [[American Hockey League]] began play during the 2016–2017 season after relocating to Tucson in 2016. They play at the [[Tucson Convention Center|Tucson Convention Center Arena]] from October to April, and are the top affiliate of the [[Arizona Coyotes]].

In [[American football]], the [[Indoor Football League]] announced in 2018 they were bringing an expansion team to Tucson to play at the [[Tucson Convention Center]]'s newly renovated Tucson Arena starting in 2019. That team would be announced as the [[Tucson Sugar Skulls]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://tucson.com/sports/local/sweet-tucson-s-new-indoor-football-league-team-picks-a/article_90151e2c-bd36-11e8-a242-d3756e45a1d3.html |title=Sweet: Tucson's new Indoor Football League team picks a name with local significance |author=Ryan Finlay |website=tucson.com |date=September 20, 2018 |access-date=September 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180924070625/https://tucson.com/sports/local/sweet-tucson-s-new-indoor-football-league-team-picks-a/article_90151e2c-bd36-11e8-a242-d3756e45a1d3.html |archive-date=September 24, 2018 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In [[baseball]], the [[Tucson Saguaros]] of the independent [[Pecos League]] began play in 2016 and play at the [[Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium]]. They won the league in their inaugural season and won two more championships in 2020 and 2021. The [[Tucson Padres]] played at [[Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium]] from 2011 to 2013. They served as the AAA affiliate of the [[San Diego Padres]]. The team, formerly known as the Portland Beavers, temporarily moved to Tucson from [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]] while the team awaited a new stadium in [[Escondido, California|Escondido]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Finley, Patrick |url=http://azstarnet.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/tucson-padres-new-california-stadium-deal-looks-unlikely/article_8ee8ffec-3254-11e1-85ad-001871e3ce6c.html |title=Tucson Padres owner to look at selling team |newspaper=Arizona Daily Star |date=December 29, 2011 |access-date=January 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120202203243/http://azstarnet.com/sports/baseball/professional/minor/tucson-padres-new-california-stadium-deal-looks-unlikely/article_8ee8ffec-3254-11e1-85ad-001871e3ce6c.html |archive-date=February 2, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Trotto, Sarah|url=http://azstarnet.com/sports/baseball/professional/mlb/tucson-padres-notebook-moorad-kino-may-be-a-long-term/article_dcf103af-640e-558f-b448-550b3ebe84fb.html#ixzz1kCCYAMFN |title=TUCSON PADRES NOTEBOOK: Moorad: Kino may be a long-term option|newspaper=Arizona Daily Star |date=April 16, 2011 |access-date=January 22, 2012}}</ref> Legal issues derailed the plans to build the Escondido stadium, so they moved to [[El Paso, Texas]] for the 2014 season and onward. Previously, the [[Tucson Sidewinders]], a triple-A affiliate of the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]] from 1998 to 2008, won the [[Pacific Coast League]] championship and unofficial AAA championship in 2006. The Sidewinders played at [[Tucson Electric Park]] (now called Kino Sports Complex) and were in the Pacific Conference South of the PCL. The Sidewinders were sold in 2007 and moved to [[Reno, Nevada]] after the 2008 season. They now compete as the [[Reno Aces]], who have served as a triple-A affiliate for the Arizona Diamondbacks since 2009.

In [[Association football|soccer]], Tucson is host to the [[Mobile Mini Sun Cup]], the largest pre-season [[Major League Soccer]] (MLS) tournament in the country. As many as 11 MLS soccer clubs train in Tucson every winter. Tucson is also host to [[FC Tucson]], a professional soccer club that plays at the [[Kino Sports Complex North Stadium]] in the third-tier [[USL League Two]].

The [[United States Handball Association]] Hall of Fame is in Tucson.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ushandball.org/content/category/30/83/128/ |title=The USHA Hall of Fame |publisher=United States Handball Association |access-date=September 29, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120802231639/http://www.ushandball.org/content/category/30/83/128/ |archive-date=August 2, 2012}}</ref>

Tracks include [[Tucson Raceway Park]] and Rillito Downs. [[Tucson Raceway Park]] hosts [[NASCAR]]-sanctioned auto racing events and is one of only two asphalt short tracks in Arizona. Rillito Downs is an in-town destination on weekends in January and February each year. This historic track held the first organized [[quarter horse]] races in the world, and they are still racing there. The racetrack is threatened by development. The Moltacqua racetrack, was another historic horse racetrack on what is now Sabino Canyon Road and Vactor Ranch Trail, but it no longer exists.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://tucson.com/news/local/street-smarts-giant-boot-marks-spot-of-road-named-for/article_ee5a870a-cb54-5e4f-a041-46268b5d7ab6.html|title=Street Smarts: Giant boot marks spot of road named for Restaurant owning family|author=David Leighton|newspaper=Arizona Daily Star|access-date=July 7, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180707230357/https://tucson.com/news/local/street-smarts-giant-boot-marks-spot-of-road-named-for/article_ee5a870a-cb54-5e4f-a041-46268b5d7ab6.html|archive-date=July 7, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Parks and recreation===
The city has more than 120 parks, from small and local to larger parks with ballfields, natural areas, lakes, 5 public golf courses, and [[Reid Park Zoo]]. "The Loop" is a popular system of walking/running/bicycling/horseback trails encircling the city primarily along washes, and it is usually well separated from traffic. Several scenic parks and points of interest are also nearby, including the [[Tucson Botanical Gardens]], [[Tohono Chul Park]], [[Saguaro National Park]], [[Sabino Canyon]], and [[Biosphere 2]] (just north of the city, near the town of [[Oracle, Arizona|Oracle]]).

[[Tumamoc Hill]] is an active research site maintained by the [[University of Arizona]] and [[Pima County, Arizona|Pima County]] that doubles as a popular walking/running trail. The paved trail on Tumamoc Hill is 1.5 miles uphill (3 miles full trip), divided into two parts. The lower half is a much more gradual slope compared to the steep upper half reaching a final elevation of 2,340&nbsp;ft where it overlooks most of the city of Tucson. The trail attracts around 1500 visits a day from various demographics of the Tucson area.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Walk the Hill {{!}} Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill|url=https://tumamoc.arizona.edu/walk-hill|access-date=August 20, 2020|newspaper=Desert Laboratory on Tumamoc Hill|date=February 13, 2020}}</ref>
[[File:Shop in SummerhavenAZ.JPG|thumb|right|The general store in [[Summerhaven]]]]
[[Mt. Lemmon]] is {{convert|25|mi|km}} north (by road) and over {{convert|6700|ft|m}} above Tucson in the Santa Catalina Mountains in the [[Coronado National Forest]]. Outdoor activities in the Catalinas include hiking, mountain biking, birding, rock climbing, picnicking, camping, swimming in mountain stream pools, sky rides at Ski Valley, fishing, and photography. In winter with enough snow, the sky ride converts back to skiing at the southernmost ski resort in the continental United States. [[Summerhaven, Arizona|Summerhaven]], a community near the top of Mt. Lemmon, is also a popular destination.

The [[League of American Bicyclists]] gave Tucson a gold rating for bicycle friendliness in late April 2007. Tucson hosts the largest perimeter cycling event in the United States. The ride, called "[[El Tour de Tucson]]", takes place each November on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. [[El Tour de Tucson]] produced and promoted by [[Perimeter Bicycling]] has had as many as 10,000 participants from all over the world. In 2019, ridership is expected to be 6,000 cyclists.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kvoa.com/news/local-news/2019/11/22/el-tour-de-tucson-2019-what-to-know/|title=El Tour de Tucson 2019: What to know|date=November 22, 2019|website=KVOA.com|language=en-US|access-date=November 23, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191122205252/https://kvoa.com/news/local-news/2019/11/22/el-tour-de-tucson-2019-what-to-know/|archive-date=November 22, 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref> Tucson is one of only nine cities in the U.S. to receive a gold rating or higher for cycling friendliness from the [[League of American Bicyclists]]. The city is known for its winter cycling opportunities, with teams and riders from around the world spending a portion of the year training in Tucson's year-round biking climate. Popular mountain biking areas include Tucson Mountain Park, Sweetwater Preserve, the Tortolita Mountain trail systems, and Fantasy Island. Road cyclists take on Catalina Highway's steep climb year-round.