Vail pickleballers bring home hardware — and cash — from Komodo Open
Several Vail pickleballers picked up titles — and brought home cash — from the Komodo Open last weekend in Grand Junction. The first-annual tournament, hosted by the Western Slope Pickleball Club, ran from Oct. 3 to Oct. 6 at the Lincoln Park Pickleball Complex and featured a junior tournament, singles and doubles brackets, pro matches and a pro clinic. Almost 250 athletes registered for the event.
Eagle County athletes claimed five doubles gold medals and one individual gold, as well as two doubles silver medals and a pair of doubles bronze medals. A $1,600 prize purse was offered for open division doubles, with $850 going to singles. The amateur doubles cash awards ranged from $300 for 3.0 to 3.5 categories and $400 for 4.0 to 4.5 categories. The total prize purse for singles in the aforementioned amateur categories was $155 and $200, respectively.
Bruno Barrueto and Brenna Murray brought home the biggest paycheck for winning the mixed doubles open title. Barrueto also teamed up with Clayton Boydston to win the men’s doubles open crown. Carol Johnson took the women’s singles title, which combined all skill and age groups.
All told, Vail athletes brought home $2,400 dollars, said Mike Leigh, an EagleVail instructor and author of “Zen and the Art of Pickleball.“
“As an amateur, this is the first time I’ve ever won prize money, too,” stated Leigh, who teamed up with Jeff Wiles to win the men’s doubles 4.0 in the 60-and-over age group. “It certainly helped with travel expenses.”
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Local medalists from first-annual Komodo Pickleball Tournament (Oct. 3-6)
Gold medal winners
- Caroline Wagner and Greg Zen-Ruffinen, mixed doubles 3.5, ages 17-59
- Bruno Barrueto and Brenna Murray, mixed doubles open
- Ben Moore and Kai Owen, men’s doubles 4.0, ages 17-59
- Juli Young and Kathy Fort Carty, women’s doubles 4.0+, ages 60+
- Mike Leigh and Jeff Wiles, men’s doubles 4.0+, ages 60+
- Carol Johnson, women’s singles (all skill and age groups combined)
Silver medal winners
- Bruno Barrueto and Clayton Boydston, men’s doubles open
- Juli Young and Mike Leigh, mixed doubles 4.0+, ages 60+
Bronze medal winners
- Carol Johnson and Ashley Bailey, women’s doubles 4.0, ages 17-59
- Nigel Mills and Richard Laine, men’s doubles 4.0+, ages 60+