Smashing Success: Local Aiken High Senior Earns Prestigious Pickleball Scholarship!

Who knew that it could be so much fun to earn a scholarship? Yet that's just what Carson Colmer, a senior at Aiken High School, has done! Carson is the recipient of the first annual E.A. Powell Memorial Pickleball Scholarship*, with a fat check for $1,000 helping him on his way to studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.

Presented by the Southern Pickleball Academy, this scholarship is aimed at awarding high school seniors who display outstanding character while showing initiative and leadership in growing this sport. Carson has checked all those boxes!

Carson and Academy board members Bob Fogle & Beth Eberhard

I first met Carson two years ago when he and his mother came to play pickleball at our Pickleball & Pizza event at Virginia Acres Park.  I was impressed from the start with his manners and respect toward the adults he met.  I watched him play pickleball with his friends as well as adults and saw the enthusiasm and fun he had with the game.  He played a competitive game, but always adhered to good sportsmanship with his partner as well as his opponents.  

Carson leads an active life, achieving top grades in his classes and high scores on SAT and AP exams while taking leadership roles in his school and in both Cross-Country and Track teams and achieving a private pilot’s license and other certifications. Yet he still has found time to introduce his friends to pickleball, getting groups together to play at the courts at Virginia Acres and Eustis Park, even providing equipment for them if needed. 

He has provided a valuable service to the Southern Pickleball Academy on three separate occasions, producing a Facebook reel at a Pickleball & Pizza event, providing drone footage of our Southern Spring Classic tournament, and putting together a video with music showcasing our 2024 Reindeer Games tournament.  These have been invaluable as promotional media as we work toward growing pickleball especially within the younger population.

Reindeer Games December 2024

One incident in particular stands out in my mind that highlights Carson’s integrity, initiative, and leadership qualities in helping us to grow pickleball.  On the morning of our 2024 Reindeer Games in Augusta, GA, Carson had an important interview in Columbia, SC. He could have easily and understandably canceled on us, citing this critical conflict. Yet he still made it to our tournament in time to take videos.  Within a few days, he had produced a quality video for us to use in our media channels.  All this was done as a volunteer without any thought of remuneration; simply put, he said he would do it and he did, in spite of the difficulties with his schedule.

The Southern Pickleball Academy is proud to be able to recognize Carson's achievements with this scholarship. Carson is going places with his life, and we know he’ll be taking his pickleball paddle wherever he goes!

*If you'd like to help fund our scholarship program with a donation, please click here.