|
PARIS – Young people from Arkansas,
Kentucky, Missouri, and Tennessee will
participate in the Elks “Hoop Shoot”
National Free Throw Contest at Henry County
High School, Saturday, March 8, at 10 a.m.
These net-stuffing boys and girls, who
already have a local, district, and state
championship under the belts of their
warm-up suits, face their next challenge
here in Paris.
These talented youngsters have proven
themselves to be the standouts in a
competition that started last fall with more
than 3-million participants, ages 8 to 13.
Now as the top free-throw shooters from four
states gather at Henry County High School,
they will continue to make news as they take
all their hard work, talent, and
concentration to the line. At stake is a
chance to advance to the national finals,
where just 72 participants will compete
April 24-27, 2008 at the birthplace of
basketball, Springfield, Massachusetts.
Now in its 36th year, the Elks "Hoop Shoot"
National Free Throw Contest, sponsored by
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks,
has grown into the largest co-educational
sports program in the country, allowing boys
and girls to compete separately in three age
groups: 8-9, 10-11, and 12-13. Each contest
consists of 25 free throws --10 in round
one, 15 in round two -- with ties being
resolved in five-shot shoot-offs. The six
regional winners from the competition at
Paris will have a chance to stake their
claim to one of six coveted spots on the
Elks "Hoop Shoot" plaque in the Naismith
Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame alongside
the likes of past Elks "Hoop Shoot" champs
and sports luminaries as Indiana Pacer Chris
Mullin, former North Carolina State star
Jennifer Howard, and former Chicago White
Sox third-baseman Chris Snopek.
The Elks "Hoop Shoot" National Free Throw
Contest is entirely funded by the Elks
National Foundation, the charitable arm of
the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks.
Last year, the Foundation disbursed more
than $13-million in support of youth
programs, veterans services, drug education
programs, college scholarships, and aid to
people with disabilities. The Benevolent and
Protective Order of Elks of the United
States of America is a patriotic and
philanthropic fraternal organization with
nearly 1-million members in more than 2,100
communities. |
The McKenzie Banner
