Nick Simchuck
Honored in 2002

Spokane, Washington

Nick and his wife Eunice started their own business, Solar System, in 1947 in a small building on Railroad Avenue in downtown Spokane. They began by reconditioning football equipment (helmets, pads, pants, jerseys and dummies) for high school and colleges in the area. Their reputation for quality workmanship and fair prices quickly expanded their clientele beyond the Spokane area. Nick began providing the then new Ensolite mats to school in 1955. When wrestling came to the Spokane area in 1957 Nick was the first to recognize the need for these mats to replace the old unsafe and bulky hair and felt mats that were then being used.

In 1963 Nick moved the family business to the present location off Market Street. With new technology and more room, they began building mats as we know them today. Solar Systems now sells mats to schools and other organizations in many different states. When Warner Brothers Studios produced the movie “Vision Quest” in Spokane in 1983 they had Nick build the mat they used in the film. Every summer Nick checks with coaches in the area to find any needy students he can employ during their busy time. He has helped out thousands in this way over the 55 years he has been in business.

Wrestling programs throughout the Northwest have come to rely on Nick to both provide new mats and to recondition those that have become worn or damaged. Nick’s generosity is legendary and never ending. He has given hundreds of mats to schools and organizations who could not afford to buy them. When a school needs a sponsor for a tournament Nick is there to help. Nick and his family have transported mats to countless tournaments over the years. They never accept any payment. In the 55 years that Nick has been in business at Solar System, he has become the standard by which all others are judged.