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Rocky Mountain Pickleball Open
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Steamboat Classic

Pickleball - The Sport

With over 3 million players, exploding growth and constantly increasing places to play, pickleball has become the number one growing sport in the United States. The dink, soft game, bashers, concentration, exercise, competition, and most of all fun, are all part of the pickleball world. Basically the sport is a blend of badminton, ping pong, and tennis. Pickleball has a relatively short learning curve, thereby giving even a newbie beginner the chance to start having fun right from the start. Played with light-weight paddles and a plastic wiffle ball, games are played on a court the approximate size of a badminton court. The net is set slightly lower than a standard tennis net. Play format includes both singles (two players) or doubles teams (four players, two per team). Bottom line is the sport is addictive and a blast to play!

The Players

Pickleball players are among the most diverse of any sport, including folks within a wide range of age and skill. Many tournaments see the largest number of players in the 60+ brackets. However, pickleball is far from being a seniors-only sport. Top players of all ages are well conditioned athletes, with competition demanding excellent skill levels, conditioning and training. For the majority of players, pickleball represents a fun, challenging and competitive means of providing great exercise and socializing. As skills and conditioning improve, often the competitive drive emerges in many players as they strive for higher rankings and a tournament medal or two. The satisfaction of such accomplishment, especially at the higher age levels, is something not often available in most other sports. It's an awesome feeling at any age.

Skill Ratings

As new players improve and begin thinking about competing in tournaments, a next step is determining a skill rating. Rating are a means of determining a player’s abilities, based upon some well thought out criteria established by the USAPA (United States Pickleball Association) and the IFP (International Federation of Pickleball). Ratings provide kind of a leveling of the playing field, comparing one players skills against others. Basically, the rating system assures that players of similar skill levels are matched against each other in tournaments and other match play. This makes the game more fun and competitive for everyone. Recently (January 1, 2019) the USAPA updated their Tournament Player Rating to include a four digit rating system, although a two digit interpretation of it will likely be commonly used. The new rating system includes a range from 1.0 to 6.5. This will provide for more accurate determination of a player’s skill level and even better matches. The best place to find more information on the new rating system and other related questions is USAPA.org. 

Tournament Play

Opportunities for added fun, socializing, excitement and competition. Tournaments are organized to provide challenging matches between players of similar age and skill levels. Often including a variety of doubles matches, featuring ladies, mens and mixed formats. An even tougher format is singles play, where one player must cover the entire side of the court. Both doubles and singles are exciting to watch and even better to be a part of. Rocky Mountain Pickleball welcomes you to give tournament play a try. Like the sport itself, you'll likely find them addicting and self challenging to continue improving! Win or lose, the players always have a great time. The best place to check out upcoming tournament locations and dates is the USAPA website. In addition to tournament info, the site provides extensive information on most every aspect of the sport. So join the excitement, WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU AT ONE OF OUR TOURNAMENTS!

This summer's Rocky Mountain Pickleball Tournament Series currently includes venues in Steamboat Springs and the Apex Pickleball Complex in Arvada, just north of Denver. Additionally, a second mountain tournament is being planned for later in the summer in Aspen, with dates and court locations yet to be confirmed. We will keep this site up dated regarding development and finalization of this tournament, so please continue to check here or subscribe to our newsletter for the latest information.

We hope you'll consider participating as a player, referee, volunteer, or spectator, and look forward to seeing you!

If you have any questions or would like to contact us, we would be happy to hear from you.

info@rockymountainpickleball.com  |  303.683.1000

Arvada | North Denver, CO

With a rocky mountain backdrop, Apex Pickleball Complex is Colorado's premier pickleball location. Located in the city of Arvada, the Apex complex is just a short drive from downtown Denver and home of the upcoming USAPA sanctioned ROCKY MOUNTAIN PICKLEBALL OPEN - August 2, 3, 4, 2019

Info & Player Registration

Steamboat Springs, CO

Known as a true mountain western town and host to some of the best skiing in the country, summertime in Steamboat also boasts a broad range of activities, and importantly, perfect weather for playing pickleball! The spectacular mountains surrounding Steamboat combine with the town's western architecture and slow pace to create a perfect setting for this year's USAPA sanctioned STEAMBOAT CLASSIC. The event will bring players from across Colorado and throughout the west. A special tournament, hosted in a very special Colorado town. DATES FOR THE TOURNAMENT HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED! Matches will be played on July 5th (Singles) 6th (Mixed) & 7th (Ladies & Men's Doubles). We anticipate player registration to commence by April 20th. Please continue checking this site for updates and confirmation.

Info & Player Registration

Pending Tournaments

Rocky Mountain Pickleball is currently working to introduce the inaugural Aspen Pickleball Classic to this world renown mountain town. We are conferring with the local communities in the Roaring Fork Valley to determine suitability of the destination and potential quality of the overall player and spectator experience. Following our ability to confirm dates and necessary courts, the location will officially be included in the Rocky Mountain Pickleball Series and submitted for sanctioning by the USAPA. Please continue to visit this site for updates or subscribe to our newsletter for the latest info and player registration dates.

Aspen, Colorado

As the Aspen Chamber of Commerce boasts: Welcome to 7908 feet above ordinary. There are so many special places and activities available in this famous mountain town, it's hard to say where to begin. This summer Rocky Mountain Pickleball is thrilled to introduce the ASPEN PICKLEBALL CLASSIC. Promising to be an exciting, fun event, featuring local players from Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley, as well as many from around the county. Match scheduling will allow for plenty of time to take in the Aspen/Snowmass experience and the beautiful Roaring Fork Valley. (TOURNAMENT DATES PENDING)

Info & Player Registration

Give A Paddle Campaign

With many of us players wanting to remain on the cutting edge of paddle design and technology, the purchase of a new paddle often results in the accumulation of an extra paddle or two. As we all know, these used paddles are typically in good shape, yet end up packed away in some box, often never again seeing action on the court. Rocky Mountain Pickleball would like to encourage you to consider donating your previous paddle to our Give A Paddle Campaign. We'll ensure that your old paddle is put to awesome use by one of several youth organizations, such as the Boys and Girls Club of American, and YMCA. Your paddle donation will not only help in promoting our sport, but may introduce it to the next Tyson McGuffin, Sarah Ansboury, Kyle Yates, or Christine McGrath! Please keep it mind. We can accept your paddles at the Rocky Mountain Pickleball canopy at any of our tournaments or contact us regarding other ways to make the donation.

Thanks in advance from us and the pickleball world!

Following some basic instructions and review of the rules, most anyone can begin playing, enjoying, and becoming addicted to pickleball.

This year's tournament featured over 2000 players from 47 states and 18 countries.

2018 U.S. Open Pickleball Championships

Pickleball offers exciting play and competition for all ages.

One of the few sports that brings multiple sports athletes together. I'd love to see it become part of the Olympics.

Tyson McGuffin - U.S. Mens Singles National Champion

A paddle sport created for all ages and skill levels. The rules are simple and the game is easy for beginners to learn, but can develop into a quick, fast-paced, competitive game for experienced players.