Penngrove 12-year-old a racquetball prodigy

When Heather Mahoney started playing racquetball, she wasn’t much taller than the racquet itself, her coach says.

But now, at the ripe old age of 12, Mahoney is a multiple-time national champion and just booked herself a spot for the World Junior Championships in Mexico in November.

Mahoney, who lives in Penngrove and trains at Petaluma Valley Athletic Club, won three national honors last weekend at the USA Racquetball National Junior Olympic Championships in Minnesota.

She gold-medaled in 12-and-under singles and 12-and-under doubles, with partner Julia Stein of Pennsylvania.

Perhaps more impressively, Mahoney played against older girls in the 14- and-under division, where she advanced to the championship, losing in three sets in the final match, bringing home a silver medal.

Her performances qualify her for a spot on the U.S. Junior National Team that will face international competition at the worlds in Mexico.

Even that notable achievement isn’t new for Mahoney. This will be her third world tournament.

And you guessed it, she did well in her previous two turns there, too.

Last year in the Dominican Republic, she won the championship in the 10-and-under group. In 2014, she won bronze at the tournament in Colombia.

Despite being one of the rarest commodities in Sonoma County - champion of the world - Mahoney is pretty nonchalant about it all.

“I like the sport because you get to travel a lot and meet new players around the world,” she said this week on an off-day after returning from nationals. “It’s a fast sport and you have to move a lot.”

Mahoney’s coach, Brian Dixon, has coached a number of kids who have won medals at nationals. But, he said, the petite Penngrove girl has something special.

“She qualified to go to the world championships in three different categories. That’s pretty unusual,” he said. “Some kids might qualify in one or two, but three is very unique.”

Northern California has become a hotspot of racquetball talent.

Of the 200 or so youths who participated in the national tournament in Minnesota, about 40 were from California.

“We were pretty impressed,” said Jeff Oliver of USA Racquetball. “Northern California is a little bit of powerhouse, especially the Stockton area. It looks like it’s spreading to other parts of Northern California as well.”

The sport may be seeing a bit of a resurgence after its popularity peaked in the 1980s and ’90s.

California’s national competitors came mostly from Stockton, Pleasanton and Petaluma, which all have athletic clubs that maintain junior programs and commit to keeping their courts instead of converting them to fitness rooms.

Like any club sport athlete or travel team participant, racquetball players require the support of their families to travel to elite competitions.

The Mahoneys are all in.

Heather’s sister Hadley, 15, plays noncompetitively. Their dad, John, introduced Heather to the sport. Mom Melodese holds it all together.

“It is a sport the entire family has gotten behind. Although John and now Heather are the main players, the tournaments and events are something we all look forward to,” she said. “We now are planning our summer vacations around nationals and even the world championships.”

The sport has taken the family across the United States to tournaments in Iowa, Colorado and the Midwest, which gives them the opportunity to plan road trips on classic American summer vacations.

Last year, they enjoyed the Caribbean with another family after the tournament in the Dominican Republic.

“We are so lucky to have met such wonderful families and made great friendships as well,” Melodese Mahoney said.

She said the families have shared in victories and defeats, proud moments for their kids and have watched them grow and mature over the years. John Mahoney said people ask him if he’s impressed that he has a world champ for a daughter.

“It’s pretty cool,” he said. “People have asked me, as her father, are you impressed? Shoot, as another racquetball player, I’m impressed. She plays adults and in many cases beats them.”

Since she was little, Heather has shown a competitive drive, he said, and has excelled at soccer as well.

“She is lightning fast and she seems to have an awareness of where the ball will end up, which is what racquetball players will do when they advance … They anticipate well. She has that at a very young age.”

The maturity and sportsmanship lessons that come with competition have become just as important, if not more so, than the accolades and medals, Melodese Mahoney said.

Heather was awarded the athlete of the year for the second time, an honor chosen by fellow athletes based on performance and fair play.

“We are so proud of what Heather has accomplished both on and off the court,” her mother said.

“Her sportsmanship and support for and from other players make us grateful for the person she is growing up to be.”

You can reach Lori A. Carter at 521-5470 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @loriacarter.