Pickleball tournament a ‘Big Dill’

Anderson County Chamber fundraiser draws crowd to Lakefront Park

June 4, 2025 by Ken Lay and G. Chambers Williams III

Pickleball, the latest craze in the recreational-sports realm, brought players and spectators alike to Clinton’s Lakefront Park last Saturday for the first Big Dill Pickleball Tournament.

Sponsored by the Anderson County Chamber of Commerce, the tournament included doubles and mixed doubles teams in both intermediate and advanced divisions in a double-elimination format.

The tournament served as a fundraiser, with proceeds benefitting the chamber’s programs and new building. Approximately $5,000 was raised.

“This was our first one, and we’re going to make this an annual event,” said Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Rick Meredith.

“It was great. Everything went smoothly, the sportsmanship was there, everybody was on time, and the weather cooperated with us.”

That wasn’t the case Friday night.

“The night before, we had the monsoon,” Meredith said. “We had to come back and re-line and re-tape the court.”

Meredith organized the tournament with help from Brice Kidwell and Josh Queener, who are involved in another pickleball event each summer at Lakefront Park.

“Brice and Josh run a tournament and donate the proceeds to another nonprofit,” Meredith said. “They both helped me with this tournament, and I couldn’t have done it without them.”

First place went to The Marrow Makers – Tyler and Sarah Morrow, who won the first-place medal, a Stanley cooler, a $75 Dick’s Sporting Goods gift card and a sub from Penn Station.

Coming in second place was Team Levi D. & Ben M. – Levi Dempster and Ben M. They won the second-place medal, a Stanley cup, a $50 Universal Pizza Co. gift card, and a Penn Station sub.

Third place was won by The Picklers – Amy Shepherd and Hudson Shepherd. They received the third-place medal, a $50 Apple Blossom Café gift card, and a Penn Station sub.

Other sponsors of the tournament included Tennessee Orthopedic Alliance, Orange Hat Brewing Company, Anytime Fitness, Ace Hardware, Brooklynn Bradley Photography, Patience for Profits LLC., Southern Bank, State Farm/Trey McAdams, UBS, and 865 Exterior Solutions.

Pickleball, a game that’s a mix of tennis, badminton and Ping-Pong, has a home at Lakefront Park, where the city early last year converted one of the three tennis courts into four separate pickleball courts.

Special plastic balls with holes in them – similar to wiffle balls – and special paddles are used for pickleball.

Pickleball isn’t exactly new, however. It was started in the state of Washington in 1965

According to USA Pickleball’s website (usapickleball.org), “Pickleball is a racket or paddle sport in which two players (singles), or four players (doubles) hit a perforated, hollow plastic ball with paddles over a 34-inch-high net until one side is unable to return the ball or commits a rule infraction.

“Pickleball is played indoors and outdoors. It was invented in 1965 as a children’s backyard game in the United States, on Bainbridge Island in Washington state.

“While it resembles tennis and table tennis, pickleball has separate rules, paddles, and court dimensions,” the website notes.



From 1965 to 2020, pickleball became a popular sport in the Pacific Northwest, and began to grow in popularity elsewhere, the website says. “In 2021, 2022 and 2023, the sport was named the fastest-growing sport in the United States by the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, and by 2023 it was estimated to have over 4.8 million players.

“The growing popularity of the sport has been attributed to its short learning curve, its appeal to a wide range of ages and fitness levels, and its low startup costs. There are now thousands of pickleball tournaments throughout the United States, including the U.S. National Championships and the U.S. Open Tournament, along with two professional tours and one professional league,” the website says.