Elks announce Hoop Shoot competition

Submitted information

Van Wert Elks Lodge 1197 will be holding its annual Hoop Shoot free throw contest on Sunday, December 18, at the S.F. Goedde Building (old high school) on West Crawford Street in Van Wert. Registration for girls will be held at 1:45 p.m. and the girls will shoot at 2 that afternoon. Registration for boys will begin at 2:45 p.m. and they will shoot at 3 that afternoon.

The contest is open to all boys and girls, ages 8-13. Boys and girls will be competing separately in their age class.

The Elks National “Hoop Shoot” is the nation’s largest coed sports competition and the only non-commercial sporting event conducted on a national basis. More than 3 million boys and girls, ages 8-13, from all 50 states, compete in the Elks “Hoop Shoot” contests at various levels of competition each year. Seventy-two finalists advance from the regional competition to Springfield, Massachusetts, for the national finals.

The national winners, three boys and three girls, will each receive a trophy and have their names inscribed on plaques permanently displayed at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, which began in 1976.

The “Hoop Shoot” program exerts a great constructive influence upon the young people who are brought into its activities.  The program is to build character in young people through competition with their peers, in which there is no outside influence from parents, coaches or teammates, reported Chuck Rollins, Van Wert lodge Hoop Shoot chairman.

The local winners will advance to the district competition on January 15, 2017, at the University of Findlay, with those winners going to state competition. The state winners will advance to the regional contest.  The regional winners then advance to the national finals.

The local contest, as are all the contests, is free of charge, with no registration fees required. All boys and girls are encouraged to attend and participate this year.