captured a silver medal in the age skill bracket 65 +, 5.0 / 4.5 . Another player , taller than most , was NBA Hall of Famer Rick Barry who converted his skills from one court to another and used his 6 ' 7 " frame to win the Senior Men ’ s 75 + gold medal .
The sport is literally touching every demographic in society , and based on the turnout at one of the country ’ s finest tennis and pickleball facilities , it may never slow down .
One who never slows down and is like a constant blur on the court is Anna Leigh Waters . The teenage phenom out of Delray Beach , Florida , continues to amaze the pickleball community and will soon have the entire sports world taking notice outside of the 20 ' x 44 ' court . “ Anna Leigh is extraordinarily impressive . Her ascendance in the last year has been spectacular ,” said Ben Johns , whose rise in the sport is equally impressive . “ She has little to no weaknesses . I can ’ t predict how long she ’ ll be dominant , but currently she is far ahead of the curve .”
That curve has been more like a straightaway to success for Waters . At this year ’ s Nationals , she cruised in the women ’ s singles finals , defeating Lea Jansen in straight games — 11-5 , 11-7 and 11-6 — to continue her dominance in that division . “ I attribute my success to my hard work and dedication on and off the court . I have been working hard in the gym recently to try to get stronger and faster ,” said Waters . “ I believe that work has been paying off . I also have a game plan for every match , which helps me perform with confidence .”
Then in mixed doubles , she played with Riley Newman , a new partner for this tournament . Her regular partner of late has been Ben Johns , whom she was now facing across the net in the finals with Catherine Parenteau .
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Top-ranked Ben Johns returns a forehand winner en route to winning the men ’ s singles gold .
PHOTO BY BRUCE YEUNG ; IG : @ YEUNGPHOTOGRAPHY
With mom Leigh on the sidelines nursing an injury , Anna Leigh Waters teams up with
Catherine Parenteau to claim women ’ s doubles gold .
PHOTO BY BRUCE YEUNG ; IG : @ YEUNGPHOTOGRAPHY