Bozeman hosts Montana State Pickleball Championships, uniting all skill levels

Bozeman put every level of its pickleball ladder on the same stage this weekend, with beginners, seniors and top open players all entering the Montana State Pickleball Championships at The Picklr Bozeman.

The three-day event ran Friday through Sunday, June 5-7, with match play starting at 3:00 p.m. on Friday and at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Registration was $50 per player, and each division was assigned a single day, turning the championship into a fast-moving snapshot of where the sport stands across Montana. Organizers billed it as the biggest pickleball event in state history, and USA Pickleball sanctioned it as a qualifier for Nationals.

That structure is what made the tournament unusual. Open women’s doubles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles brackets ran at 3.0, 3.5, 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0, while senior divisions for players 50 and older were set at 3.0 and 3.5 for men’s and women’s doubles. For newer players, that meant the same event that tested elite-level execution also gave them real tournament reps in a championship setting, with the pressure and pace that come from playing on the same card as higher-level divisions.

The Picklr Bozeman gave the event a setting built for that scale. The indoor venue featured 13 pro courts, sound baffling, locker rooms and showers, a full gym, a pro shop, community rooms and spectator lounges. Bozeman Pickleball Events LLC, which plans and hosts tournaments, leagues, private events and open play at the facility, has leaned on that setup to serve players of all skill levels in one place.

The championship also landed in a city where pickleball has been building momentum for years. In 2023, Bozeman Parks and Recreation manager Jamie Saitta said pickleball was the fastest-growing sport in the United States and noted that players already had several places to play in town. Public demand has stayed strong, with Bogert Park pickleball courts reopening for the 2026 season on May 1 and South Side Park also part of the local court network.

In that context, the state championship did more than crown winners. It showed how far Bozeman’s pickleball scene has come, from neighborhood courts to a Nationals qualifier that brought the entire range of the game under one roof.