Picklers from across the country headed to Bigfork for Crown of the Continent Tournament

Two Rivers Pickleball Club will host their Fourth Annual Crown of the Continent Tournament this weekend, August 9-11, with roughly 275 registrants from 18 states and Canada set to hit the courts.  

“People love coming to the Flathead, as we all know, and the fact that they can come and play their beloved sport in a tournament setting in an amazing environment is just bringing them in,” Founder Patti Lafferty said.  

The tournament numbers are up 15-20% from previous years, and Two Rivers’ regular attendance numbers are seeing a similar jump. The club hosts just under 2,000 members, with over 3,000 visits in July alone. Their courts – four indoor and 6 outdoor – are open all seasons and most of the day, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. New players are invited to learn for free with volunteer coaches, paying only a court fee; that program will pick up again in September, when the weather cools down.  

This year Crown of the Continent has players as young as 15 with brackets by age and skill level.  

“That’s really amazing to see, as the younger generation picks this up, and it’s really fun to watch,” Manager Valentina Fetveit said.  

Tournament play starts Friday with men’s doubles, Saturday will be mixed and Sunday women’s doubles. There is a competitive round-robin format, with medals at stake.  

Each year the Crown of the Continent Tournament fundraises for a local organization, this year it will benefit the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork. A raffle and silent auction will include items such as gift cards, backpacks, pickle ball paddles, and a boat donated by Old Faithful Watersports. Also up for grabs are golf lessons from local pro Alice Ritzman, who did 20 years on the LPGA tour.  

“If you have any interest at all in pickleball and you don’t know anything about it, it’s an amazing day to be able to see it in action with players who are tournament players and know what they’re doing, it shows people what our center can do,” Lafferty said. “And if you’re an average pickleball player and you just want to see some of the big boys play, come on over, this is going to be some amazing pickleball.” 

Spectators are welcome to attend the tournament at 218 Sportsman Lane in Bigfork, play begins at 8 a.m. each day and is expected to continue until about 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. For more information visit www.tworiverspickleball.com.