The 10th annual Dillon County Shrimp Net Casters Contest was held recently at Brownie and Kathi Campbell’s pool.
It seems that we have established an unfortunate pattern. The contest has been held on a nice sunny afternoon just before a major weather event, three years running. The scoring system remains the same; scores are based on shape of net and accuracy of cast. Contestants are given a practice toss, and then three throws in each category. The categories are three-foot, seven-foot, and eight-foot nets.
The contest was judged by veteran judges Jerry Richardson and Woody Monahan. Tracy Pelt graciously substituted for Kathi Campbell. Kathi, who has judged the contest from conception, is recovering from a recent illness. We all wish her the very best.
The contest was momentarily delayed waiting the arrival of Mickey Dew and Jimmy Fore. When asked about the late arrival, Mickey stated he had mechanical trouble on the way from Florence. Jimmy replied Mickey’s mechanical failure was quickly fixed as soon as he poured five gallons of gas in Mickey’s car.
The three-foot net was won by Lawrence Jordan, second place Granville Vance, and third place Dawson Jordan. The Jordan brothers made an impressive showing with first and third places, and we were happy to have Dr. Vance competing again.
The seven-foot net was won by Mickey Dew, second place Bill Aston, and third place Richard Calhoun. It is worth noting that Mickey Dew seems to own this category with winning three of the last four contests.
The eight-foot net was won by Bill Aston, second place Jimmy Fore, and third place Mickey Dew. As in the past, this trio has placed one, two, three for hometown Latta. The overall championship, all three nets totaled, was convincingly won by Big Bill Aston, second place Lawrence Jordan, and third Jimmy Fore.
Also worth noting is the previous two-time overall champion, Daniel Coleman, was not present for the content. He has attended the Clemson versus Texas A&M football game played the day before in College Station, Texas. His story is that he had received two game tickets, two airline tickets, and a motel reservation mysteriously placed in his mailbox two weeks before the contest. As an avid Clemson fan, he had to go even if it meant not being there to defend his championship. During the last contest there was talk of how to eliminate Daniel from the contest.
At the conclusion of the competition, Richard Calhoun blessed the food and asked for a safe and bountiful shrimping season. The contestants and guests enjoyed the traditional Frogmore Stew prepared by Gena Pelt and Jimmy Fore. Lawrence Jordan, Kathi Campbell, Richard Calhoun, Jerry Richardson and Jimmy Fore provided hors d’oeuvres. Winners were once again presented with an individual trophy and will have their names engraved on the championship plaque.
Club Motto: “Nothing Could Be Finer”
