Local duo takes pickleball gold

Riley McHugh and Georgie Scott recently won the mixed doubles 4.0 level gold medal at the 2022 USA Pickleball Northwest Regional Championship in Spokane, Washington. This level is the highest rated level for the 70-74 age bracket. This win provides them a “golden ticket” to the November national championships in Indian Wells, California.

McHugh, a Sisters resident, plays at the Pineview tennis Club in Sage Meadow and is a member of the Sisters Country Pickleball Club. Scott lives in Eagle Crest and plays for the Eagle Crest Pickleball Club. This is their third trip to nationals in mixed doubles.

Weather is always a factor in outdoor play. In 2021, the weather at the Boise regional tournament was 101 degrees. At the nationals in December 2021, their gold-medal match was rained out in Indian Wells. This year in Spokane, the rain again impacted play and the tournament was moved inside into brutally hot conditions.

The Spokane regional five-day tournament attracted 700 players from across the west in men’s and women’s doubles, mixed doubles, and singles matches. Pickleball is the fastest growing sport in the nation. In 2021, there were over 4.8 million active players and 38,000 courts nationwide.