The Kimmell Family Online…….

Reecie gives daddy the sign!

The world’s best marble players took center stage during the 28th
annual National Rolley Hole Championship on September 10 and 11 at
Standing Stone State Park in Overton County. A large crowd filled the
park and gathered around the marble yard with anticipation of seeing
some of the country’s best shooters and Rolley Hole players. Several
close games were played, but the team of Jeff Kimmell from Baxter, TN
and Nathan Thompson from Tompkinsville, KY, took home the national title
during Saturday evening’s finale. Along with the main attraction of Rolley
Hole, the weekend featured other serious marble competitions, marble
making, a children’s marble festival and live bluegrass music.

“Rolley Hole is considered the Super Bowl of marbles,” said Shawn
Hughes, Park Interpretive Specialist and coordinator of the marble tournament that attracted players from nine different states and countries this
year. “It’s one time a year that all the great marble shooters gather to
become the stars of the show and battle for the elusive National Title. It’s
been a great tool for the park because it’s something no one in the world
has and the park event has received media exposure to include the likes
of ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CNN, National Geographic, Southern Living
Magazine, Charles Shultz’s Peanuts, and many more.”

The game is played on a 40-by-25-foot dirt marble yard that has three
marble-size holes in the center spaced nine feet apart. Playing with a partner,
the idea is for players to make the hole or “hole out” 12 times. The
strategy comes by figuring out the best way to keep opponents from making
the hole, which often requires skillful hard shots against their marbles,
sending them ricocheting across the yard much like sending an opponent’s
ball away from the wicket in the game of croquet. “It’s a game that
combines golf, pool, croquet and the strategy of chess, but dead aim is
needed,” Hughes said. “Some of these players can hit a marble 10-12 feet
away nine out of 10 times.”

Standing Stone State Park is the only state park with a marble yard,
mainly because the best players in the U.S. hail from nearby Clay
County, TN, and Monroe County, KY. The Rolley Hole yard is covered by
a roof and is open on four sides. Players range in age from 14 to 70.
“It’s just fun, and you’ve got to have a strong thumb,” said Hughes. “With
Rolley Hole, you’ve got to be smart. It’s a game of strategy combined
with the ability to consistently make long shots. The game’s level of difficulty,
combined with world’s best marble shooters has earned the
National Rolley Hole Championship the title of World’s Most Challenging
Marbles Tournament.”

The park, seven miles south of Celina and seven miles north of Livingston, offers 1,000 acres of natural beauty. “I believe it is exactly what a state park should be,” said Hughes.”We’ve got outstanding scenery, a 69-acre lake, beautiful rustic cabins, campground, 10 miles of hiking trails, and of course a southern heritage in marbles that is sure to last for years to come.

The Champs!

Nathan Thompson and I get ready for the big day.

National Rolley Hole Marbles
Championship & Festival Results

Rolley Hole 1st Place:
Jeff Kimmell and Nathan Thompson

Rolley Hole 2nd Place:
Robert Emberton and Richard Bowman

Rolley Hole 3rd Place:
Chad Ferguson and Paul Davis

Rolley Hole 4th Place:
Mitchell Thompson and Wesley Thompson