For the Reporter
Kent’s Chris Miller won a gold medal in the mixed doubles (35-and-older) division at the USA Pickleball Association National Tournament at Sun City Festival in Buckeye, Ariz.
Miller’s mixed doubles partner was Jennifer Lucore of Oceanside, Calif.
The Nov. 11-17 nationals was the premiere sanctioned tournament hosted once a year by the USA Pickleball Association.
Pickleball is widely recognized as America’s fastest growing sport. The game is played on a doubles badminton-sized court with the net lowered to 34 inches at the center, with a polymer ball slightly smaller than a whiffle ball and paddles made of composite material.
With more than 600 registered players, USAPA Nationals V was the largest pickleball tournament in the history of the sport, with players from 39 states and as far away as Canada and the Netherlands. Players competed for thousands of dollars in prize money and the event was played on 28 courts during a week of fast-paced play in both open and age divisions.
According to David Jordan, tournament co-chair and President of the USAPA, “Nationals is the USAPA’s signature event each year. The USAPA has proudly achieved a 23 percent increase in membership and unprecedented growth this year, thanks in part to our 700 dedicated Ambassadors and the explosion of new places to play pickleball across the country.”
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