RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesAug. 4—MITCHELL — Sam Reimnitz doesn't get to compete like he once did, but that hardly keeps him away from the Hitchcock Park tennis courts.
A farmer from Corsica, Reimnitz has been a staple of the Mitchell tennis community for decades. At age 69, he's still heavily involved with helping run the local men's and women's tennis leagues on Monday nights.
But the annual Take the Cake tournament, an adult/junior doubles and singles event put on each summer by the Mitchell Tennis Association, holds a special place in Reimnitz's heart.
Twenty years ago, Reimnitz was the 2006 Mitchell league singles and mixed doubles points champion in his division. Then, on Sept. 19, 2006, Reimnitz was injured in a motorcycle crash near his farm. Both his legs were broken. One of them had to be amputated in the emergency room.
The local tennis community rallied around Reimnitz and quickly organized a doubles tournament for Reimnitz's benefit. Reimnitz was still in the hospital when that tournament took place in October 2006. He keeps a photo album of that first event, pointing out the competitors wearing sweatpants, long sleeves and even jackets — not typical tennis attire — since it took place deep into the fall season.
"It's like a second family here up in Mitchell," Reimnitz said of what the tournament means to him. "They look out for you and care for you. They make you feel like a part of it all."
Reimnitz's injuries may have compromised his playing ability, but they couldn't dampen his love of the game. He has two sons who played the game, as well, and now he gets to teach and watch his grandchildren play.
The tournament didn't stop, either. This year marked the 20th annual playing of the tournament that once bore Sam Reimnitz's name, now called Take the Cake because the awards are full cakes and cupcakes. Coinciding with the 20th anniversary, the tournament had a record turnout this year of 104 players, which crushed the event's previous record of 76 participants. Further, 25 volunteer bakers supplied 39 cakes and 301 cupcakes as prizes.
"My favorite part is just meeting and visiting with old friends," Reimnitz said. "Just to see the smiles and look at the crowd, they're watching two or three generations of tennis players out there. That has been the thing I look forward to is the camaraderie of tennis friends."
Because of what the event provided him in a time of need, Reimnitz is keen to give back every year. He's a constant presence at the event, helping with everything from tournament headquarters operations to taking out the trash.
"Sam has always been such a huge part of Mitchell tennis, and it's amazing to see him be a part of this tournament every year," said Mitchell Tennis Association president Jacob Dahme, who started playing in the tournament back when he was in seventh grade in the early 2010s. "He makes everybody feel welcome here, and that's just who Sam is, a super nice guy. He helps make this one of our best tournaments."
This year, to mark the 20th anniversary of the tournament, Reimnitz sponsored sportsmanship awards and gift cards for teams in the doubles competition who were voted on by their peers. He said he plans to continue to give back for as long as he is able.
"He's an inspiration for all of us. Obviously, he is a big part of the tennis community, and that goes back to before I became a part of the tennis community," said Pat Moller, the Mitchell Tennis Association director of tournaments. "He's just a great ambassador for the game."
'There's nothing like it'
Part of the appeal of the Take the Cake tournament and why it has continued to be a popular draw on the summer sporting calendar is how unique it is, from the format to the prizes. While many other tournaments have divisions that split up players based on age and gender, the Take the Cake is something of a melting pot.
"There's nothing like it," Moller said. "Playing for cakes and cupcakes, the mixture of adults and students, and because of the tournament's size, we're better able to group people by ability level and produce competitive matches. It is just a really unique tournament."
With its record participation of 104 players in 2026, the Take the Cake tournament is now the biggest adult/junior tennis tournament in South Dakota, according to event officials.
"This is awesome. We're really blessed in Mitchell to have a phenomenal tennis board, and so many people are invested in what we're doing," Dahme said. "We're getting really positive feedback on the tournaments we're doing every summer, and it's great to see those numbers increase."
"I'm really proud of the fact that adults and youth, not just from Mitchell but from across the region, see the value in this to where they'll come spend the weekend in Mitchell and participate in this tournament," added Moller. "It's a testament to the popularity of tennis. A lot of people talk about how pickleball might be stealing some of the esteem from tennis, but I don't think that's the case at all. I think that pickleball has got its own lane, and I think that there's room for both of them. We've got a lot of people from people in their 80s down to people 10 years old that are in this tournament right here."
Take the Cake is one of four tournaments hosted by the MTA each summer, and Dahme said all four are well-supported. However, with the eastern set of courts at Hitchcock Park starting to show their age, the MTA has ambitions to add four more courts to the western part of the complex.
"We want to have a really high-quality tournament and have somewhere that people keep coming back to, so we can keep growing the sport of tennis," Dahme said.
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.