‘Pickle on the Clinch’ a success, Team Longshot wins
Amy and Bradley Allen were one of the more than two-dozen teams competing in the Pickle on the Clinch pickleball tournament. At the end of the day, the husband-wife team was one of the last teams standing, but ultimately it was Team Longshot (Trace Bates and Kohn Kallevig) who placed the championship belts around their waists. (photo:Tony Cox )
It was a long humid Saturday but tournament director Brice Kidwell couldn’t have been happier.
“We filled up and we had a waitlist and I have some people reach out to me personally about playing,” Kidwell said. “And we had a lot of spectators as well.
“I’m really happy with our turnout and we were pretty much on schedule. We started about 10 in the morning and we finished up about 6:30 or 6:45.”
At the end of the long day, Team Longshot, comprised of Trace Bates and John Kallevig, was crowned the inaugural tournament champions.
Proceeds from the event benefitted the Anderson County High School volleyball program. The event was also sponsored by Ameriprise Financial.
Kidwell said that he’s hoping to expand the tournament field in 2025 and noted that he would like to get the City of Clinton more involved next year.
“We’re hoping to expand if we can get the city to give us more room and maybe put in some new courts,” Kidwell said. “We’d like to get the city more involved next year.
Ameriprise Financial representative Amy Allen was also pleased with the first tournament.
“Brice Kidwell and Josh Queener put on a top-notch event at the new Clinton pickleball courts Saturday to raise money for the Anderson County High School volleyball team,” Allen said.
“The tournament filled up to max capacity of 20 teams quickly,” she said.
“Throughout the day, participants expressed appreciation to be part of the event, and praised Kidwell and Queener for a job well-done.”
Allen, the participants and some spectators expressed gratitude to the volunteers and to Apple Blossom for providing concessions.