This week Big Sky State Games will celebrate its 40th anniversary when athletes of all ages and abilities compete in more than 30 sports.
Back in the state games’ “teen age years” it included a little-known sport with a very strange name—pickleball and a Billings man who helped introduce it.
Come to the gym in the Billings YMCA on any early weekday afternoon and you will find the three pickleball courts busy. And somewhere on that floor you will find 81 year old Larry Seekins.
He has been the Big Sky State Games pickleball commissioner since its humble inaugural year.
“ When we moved to Billings, with the help of Mike Nys here at the YMCA--he was the athletic director--we established pickleball here. And he helped get it into the state games, I think 2003 was the first time,” explained Seekins.
That first year there weren’t many athletes.
“Our first tournament we had 23 participants, half of them were my family. And our last one last year we had 165 and none of my family was in that,” Seekins laughed.
The Billings pickleball godfather said he first picked up a paddle in 1977 back when the paddles were wooden. Over the years he said he’s s taught more than 3,000 people how to play
It is quite simple why pickleball is so popular.
"The thing is it has an appeal to everybody,” said Seekins.
“I mean I’ve got kids here 10 and 11 years old and its absolutely amazing is how well they do. And it’s all ages. I am going be 82 here in a week or so. My oldest player that I’ve had was 87. So you’ve got that range… the whole thing. So the whole family can play it. And the one big thing about it--is it’s a lot of fun and fun is something everybody wants to do.”
Registration for pickleball in this year’s state games closed earlier this month.
That gives interested parties time to learn to play, get into a few games and tournaments and be ready for the 41st annual Big Sky State Games in 2026.
