News From The Court
Former Hoop Shooter Recalls Lessons Learned
A chance interaction spawned a national champion. Fourth-grader Lanae Saunders was shooting hoops during recess when she decided to join the Hoop Shoot contest being sponsored by the Mesa, Ariz., Elks. “I was so small,” Lanae says, “I only had the strength to shoot granny style.”
She made three of the 10 baskets and was crowned champion of the schoolyard. She competed in the city tournament the following Saturday. She had only played basketball with her five younger brothers, but proceeded to win the city, district and state contests. Her first year in the Elks Hoop Shoot competition ended with a fourth-place finish at the regional competition.
“I was hooked,” says Lanae, “and set goals for the following year’s contest.” The second year she won city and district, but not state. What’s a champion to do when at first she does not succeed? Practice. And that is exactly what Lanae did.
She began practicing a few hours a day, six days a week. Lanae was given the key to the basketball court at the church behind her house, which she believes gave her an advantage. This, coupled with a strong work ethic, paid off. Her third year, Lanae won city, district, state, and regional!
She went to nationals with ten other girls, and while on a bus trip to Truman Memorial Library, they compared results to get an idea of the competition ahead. Listening to other girls’ stories of shooting 20 and 21 out of 25, Lanae thought “Oh, man. There’s no way.” She had scored only 16 to win her regional contest.
Feeling low on the totem pole, she went to compete in the national Hoop Shoot final in Kansas City’s Kemper Arena. With Mom and Dad encouraging her from what seemed like an enormous audience, Lanae went on to shoot 20 of 25 free throws and become the 1977 10-11-year-old girls national champion.
With a thunderous applause that Lanae remembers as “awesome,” she was presented an enormous trophy at halftime during the Kansas City Kings vs. Milwaukee Bucks game. She was asked to shoot ten free throws and hit nine. “It was an incredible experience,” she says. “I can still look back at that and gain a lot.”
Her fifteen minutes of fame included write-ups in the paper, speeches at Elks Lodges and other service groups, a presentation from her school, and a very supportive church. Her whole family greeted her when she got off the airplane holding a trophy almost as tall as she was. Her dad was so proud, he made her carry it all the way through the airport. Five years ago, she was asked to speak at the Arizona state Hoop Shoot contest. Phoenix Suns players attended and she signed autographs for the kids in awe of her success.
Lanae credits Hoop Shoot as being a confidence booster. “This program benefited me significantly,” Lanae says. “As a shy young girl, it increased my self-confidence then, and throughout my life. It taught me that if I worked hard enough at something, I could achieve my goals.”
Lanae went on to play basketball in junior high and high school. “I’m proud to say that I have never smoked or drank in my life,” Lanae recalls of the lessons she learned through the Hoop Shoot. “The Hoop Shoot emphasized no drugs, and alcohol and I have never once tried them. I have no desire.”
Lanae’s favorite memory of the experience was the awards ceremony at the Lodge. “They let us eat all the treats and soda we wanted,” remembers Lanae. “There was a big ceremony and we spoke in front of everybody, telling them how many points I scored. At that age the recognition helped me to come out of my shell. It gave me the boost to move on and accomplish other things.”
Catching up with Lanae Saunders was a pleasure as she is now Lanae Martineau and happily married for nine and a half years to Curtis, a CFO of an engineering firm. Lanae earned a Business Management degree from Arizona State University and worked for Bank One for more than 15 years as a business systems analyst. Currently, she is a stay-at-home mom with her 22-month-old adopted daughter, McKenzie and is expecting to adopt another little girl, Madison, who is due March 9, 2005.
One day she plans to get her daughters involved in the Hoop Shoot program. Meanwhile, she encourages young children in her community to participate. She talks about the competition and how great the experience was.
Lanae’s fifteen minutes of fame are not quite up as she serves as a role model for thousands of future participants. Congratulations to Lanae Martineau for her lifelong accomplishments that are certain to continue.