18 COMMUNITY Island couple celebrates wedding anniversary, wins tennis tournament By Colin McCandless Wild Dunes tennis teams serve up state championship By Colin McCandless From Page 15. The Wild Dunes ladies’ 6.5 combo 40+ USTA State Championship winning team. First row, left to right: Jamie Ginney, Jen Gluckow, Heather Witheford (captain), Emily Baxter, Kristin Whalen. Back row, left to right: Christy Humphries, Lisa O'Hara, Kim Raines, Lynette Korte, Bonnie Jennings, Morgan Marshall, Brandy McMahon, Leslie Bacon, Barbara Jorgensen. Not pictured: Kathi Schuitema, Tara Amaral, Jill Illario, Kellie DeMayo Michael and Ashley Carroll hold up their trophies with their kids Grayden and Evelyn after winning the mixed doubles group at the Racquet War tournament held Nov. 1-3 at Wild Dunes. When team captains and Isle of Palms locals Heather Witheford, Kristin Whalen and Brandy McMahon signed up to lead their tennis teams, they did not expect to be part of a thrilling, competitive tennis journey that will soon take them to the USTA (United States Tennis Association) Sectional Tournament this December. Two women’s teams from Wild Dunes Tennis Club (18+ 6.5 combo and 40+ 6.5 combo) represented the Charleston region at the USTA State Championship Oct. 25-28 in Florence, South Carolina. Each team won their local championship after overcoming other tough opponents from area tennis clubs. Both teams advanced to their respective state tournaments and the 40-plus team won the South Carolina state championship. The team triumphed after three days of competing against the best teams in the state, bringing Wild Dunes its first state title in more than 20 years. Most of the women on these two Wild Dunes teams live on Isle of Palms, with about 50% living within the Wild Dunes community. Team captain Witheford spent hours creating lineups and testing strategies to give her team the best chance at winning. "I am so proud of our team achieving this milestone,” said Witheford. “Our team has a depth of talent that allowed us to have an undefeated local season and become SC State Champions at the SC USTA Championship. We have a strong group of women representing Wild Dunes." “It was a combination of athleticism, strong coaching and friendship that got our team to the championship,” said McMahon. Whalen, who also serves as the Wild Dunes Tennis Association president, remarked on how grateful she is for the strong tennis community on Isle of Palms. The ladies combo team will now represent South Carolina in the USTA Southern Sectionals Dec. 6-9 in Mobile, Alabama. Isle of Palms husband-and-wife duo Michael and Ashley Carroll of Carroll Realty won the mixed doubles group at the Racquet War tournament at Wild Dunes on Nov. 1-3. This marks the second year that the traveling tournament has been held at Wild Dunes, according to Ashley. “It’s popular. It was a good tournament.” The competition consists mainly of locals, but there are also players who come in from out of town to vie for the title. For the Carrolls, the victory felt especially sweet since it happened over the weekend that they were celebrating their 10th wedding anniversary, which occurred on Nov. 2. “It was a cool thing to do together,” said Ashley. “My husband and I love tennis. I’ve played since I was little.” Ashley added that Michael is ultra-competitive and played volleyball growing up, so being athletic allowed him to pick up the game of tennis fairly quickly. Together they make a strong team and the tournament results reflected that. Ashley’s sister even came into town to babysit their two kids Grayden (8) and Evelyn (6) so they could have the time to get away and play the entire weekend. “It was really a lot of fun,” said Ashley. “It was a good bonding weekend.” her artistic endeavors, her escape is either the beach or playing with her two cats and tending to her eight chickens. Plemmons’ goal is to create artwork that is bright, happy and filled with joy, which embodies how she feels when she’s on the Isle of Palms. Her story doesn’t stop there; her ties to IOP go way beyond just creating a T-shirt. In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, many communities are still recovering and rebuilding. These areas still face daunting challenges from the storm’s impacts. During a recent city council workshop, there was discussion regarding adopting a sister city in Western North Carolina to aid in its storm recovery efforts. City council elected to adopt the city of Clyde, North Carolina. It just so happens that Plemmons is from Clyde. She has been visiting IOP since she was a little girl, while staying with family in Mount Pleasant. Plemmons and her family are especially grateful for this accomplishment since her hometown has been impacted by Hurricane Helene. “Through the T-shirt program, the city aims to connect with guests who stay on the island overnight and provide them with a tangible reminder of their IOP experience,” explained Chaundra Yudchenko, IOP public relations and tourism coordinator. “The new shirt design reflects the island’s vibrant culture and includes some of the elements that make it special. While the T-shirt program is centered around visitors, anyone can purchase a shirt and enjoy it as a keepsake that represents their fun, relaxing or adventurous time on the island.” The new IOP T-shirt design will be available for residents to purchase in the spring of 2025. IslandVibesIOP.com
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