BILLINGS - Over the weekend, the Billings YMCA played host to its first-ever racquetball tournament featuring both professional and amateur players from all over the world.
Three intense days of competition led up to the championship Sunday, where some of the world's best racquetball players took center stage trying to earn the first-ever Montana Winter Classic.
In total there were 13 different divisions, featuring contestants of all different skill levels. For Montanans like Ty Hedalen, it was unique opportunity where he not only got to watch some of the best but compete against them as well.
“I’ve been watching these guys for a number of years, and just for the past couple months, I’ve been able to go to some larger tournaments," Hedalen said Sunday while watching the championship matches. "Being able to step on the court with them and just experience it, it’s really fun for me and I’m glad I got to do it."
Hedalen made it to the semifinals of both the singles and doubles tournaments before being eliminated by the professionals, but said he was thankful for the experience.
“So, I did come up short, but I tried my best against them and did what I could," Hedalen said. "The pros are just a different level of proficiency that we don’t see very often in Montana.”
Tournament director Andrew Weber said exposing the Montana racquetball community to the highest talent was exactly what they were aiming to do.
“It was super cool because this is a level of racquetball that we might not normally see in Montana on a daily basis," Weber said. "It’s kind of giving the sport a new look and opening some people’s eyes to some awesome play here."
Perhaps the most exciting match of the day was in the single's championship, which featured two professionals ranked in the top 20 worldwide. 18th-ranked Alan Natera came all the way from Mexico to compete and ended up earning a hard-fought victory over 14th-ranked Thomas Carter from Chicago, Illinois.
“I’m very happy for winning the title in Montana, my first time here," Natera said following his championship win. "The people here are great. I will come back for sure."
The tournament ended up featuring seven different professionals, and Weber said he hopes to make the tournament an annual event that continues to grow.
"It's an honor to have these guys want to come in and play here," Weber said. "I'd love to do this again next year and maybe have even more professionals playing."
And while the competition was great, Hedalen says welcoming the best of the best to the Magic City means a lot more to him than any wins or losses.
“To have them here, and to be able to share our small city with them and our small racquetball group with them is a pretty special weekend,” Hedalen said.
