The national free throw shooting contest is for children 8 through 13, and is scheduled from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday at the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland.
Nearly three million students from across the country entered last year’s competition for boys and girls in age categories 8 to 9, 10 to 11 and 12 to 13. Each contestant has 25 shots at the hoop.
The boys and girls in each age group with the best scores advance through four tiers of competition to qualify for the national finals in Springfield, Mass.
Local participants will each receive an Elks “Hoop Shoot” T-shirt and first-, second- and third-place winners will receive a trophy.
Local first-place winners will compete against other contestants in a district event in Knoxville Nov. 12. Names of the national winners will be inscribed on the Elks National “Hoop Shoot” plaque, on permanent display in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
This program is totally sponsored by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks. The Hoop Shoot is funded by the Elks National Foundation and the support of local Lodges and state associations. Travel and lodging expenses to the district contest for the contestants and their parents are paid by the Elks.
Local physical education teachers in the Bradley County and Cleveland City school systems were informed of the “Hoop Shoot” contest to be held in their gymnasium before the local event. First-, second- and third-place winners from each school are to participate in the local contest.
The Elks “Hoop Shoot” has been effective not only in developing champions, but character as well. Educators and parents have endorsed the program, and one parent wrote, “It teaches a person how to win in good grace and how to accept the moment of defeat without bitterness.”
Officials of Cleveland BPOE Lodge 1944 expressed its appreciation to the Boys and Girls Club of Cleveland for the club’s help and participation with the event.
