Indoor pickleball club to host first tournament
Longmont’s 3rd Shot Pickleball invites local players and spectators to the club’s first tournament this weekend.
Set for Saturday and Sunday, the event will be a round-robin tournament that leads into a single elimination bracket.
Each bracket will be resolved before the next game starts.
“There won’t be a lot of waiting in between games, which is a huge problem that a lot of other tournaments have,” said Robert Leonard, manager of 3rd Shot Longmont.
The club’s Longmont location at 20 S. Bowen St. opened its doors in November, with a second location in Wheat Ridge following soon after.
This weekend will mark the pickleball club’s first tournament.
“(Tournaments) are very social events, but they’re also competitive,” Leonard said. “It’s a nice way to really test your skills.”
On top of offering fun competition, tournaments are also a chance for pickleball lovers to meet new players.
Each bracket is more than three hours long, which Leonard said adds to the communal atmosphere of the event.
“It’s a great time to hang out with all of your friends and find new people … you want to keep playing with,” Leonard said.
As of Tuesday, there were still open slots in the Men’s 3.0 and Women’s 4.0+ brackets — the higher the number, the higher the skill level of the bracket’s players. Spectators also are welcome to join and cheer on the players.
Leonard said the club hopes to continue hosting tournaments, with a tentative goal of three or four each year.
He said several of 3rd Shot’s members are already signed up for this weekend’s tournament, with some taking extra lessons to sharpen their skills ahead of the event.
“We’re super pleased with how much people are playing here,” Leonard said. “The community we’re building is really fantastic and really exciting.”
To sign up for the tournament, visit 3rdshotpickleball. com/home-longmont.