Vail pickleball players pick up podiums at Mountain Town Classic in Steamboat Springs
Carol Johnson, Nikki Broeffle and Tom Gibson competed alongside more than 250 other players at the three-day tournament
Courtesy photo
Two Vail-area pickleball pairs picked up podiums at the Mountain Town Classic Pickleball Tournament in Steamboat Springs earlier this month.
The three-day tournament, hosted by pickleball pro Kyle Yates, was held at the Steamboat Tennis and Pickleball Complex and featured DUPR-regulated divisions. Over 250 athletes participated in the event, which coincided with National Pickleball Day celebrations on Aug. 8.
Vail’s Carol Johnson and Nikki Broeffle placed third in the women’s doubles 4.0-4.5 division on Aug. 8. Johnson and Broeffle went 4-1 in pool play before falling to eventual champions Kate Halligan and Christina Peters 15-5 in the semifinals. In the third-place match, the Vail team defeated Carolyn Trammell and Kelly Moore 15-4.
On Sunday, Broeffle teamed up with Vail’s Tom Gibson to take silver in the mixed doubles 4.0 tournament. Broeffle and Gibson defeated their first-round opponents 15-0 and made it through the quarterfinals with a 15-7 win. In the semifinals, Broeffle got some revenge, defeating Halligan and Ryan Randle 15-9. In the championship, Broeffle and Gibson won the first game over Lexie Woolridge and Jax Chou 11-6, but fell 11-1, 11-2 in the ensuing two.
