It was a big week in Ellijay for the fastest growing recreational sport in the country.
The Mountain Mayhem Pickleball Tournament was held last Friday and Saturday at Bill Keener Courts, and 280 players were in attendance. Not only was it a momentous day for the sport locally, but the event also raised $8,498 for Appalachian Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).
Ellijay’s Full Throttle Boyz, a local mens advanced player group, hosted the event with the help of Southern Pickleball. It marked the first event sanctioned by the organization in the area.
“It was kind of our idea to have this tournament once the county gave us more courts,” said tournament director Jon Holland. “We couldn’t have done it with just four courts, but we could with eight plus the temporary courts on the other side. Southern Pickleball runs tournaments all over the southeast.”
The tournament split players by age. Within each age bracket, competitors were further classified by their skill ratings.
“It’s been a blessing and a lot more people than we expected,” said Holland. “We thought we’d have around 150 players, and maybe we could raise $2,000 or maybe $3,000. It’s really uncommon for a first-year tournament to be this successful. People love to come to Ellijay anyway, and this gives them a reason to come play in a pickleball tournament.”
CASA trains community volunteers who are appointed by a judge to speak on behalf of and for the best interest of an abused or neglected child involved in a juvenile court proceeding.
“Georgia’s CASA programs provide an innovative and cost-effective approach to an urgent crisis. Community based programs recruit, screen, train and supervise volunteers to provide individualized advocacy and an independent source of information for the judge who decides their future,” according to CASA’s website.
Appalachian CASA’s 43 volunteers donated 3,670 hours of their time and served 204 children in 2024. Through their efforts, 39 children were reunited with their family, 31 were adopted into their “forever” family, eight were placed with relatives through guardianship and the five who aged out of the system received resources and guidance to sustain into adulthood.
Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Appalachian CASA at advocacy@appalachiancasa.com or 706-276-2272.