Elks "Hoop Shoot"®:

he Elks National “Hoop Shoot” free-throw shooting contest is the largest and most visible of the many youth activities sponsored by Elks lodges throughout the country. More than three million boys and girls from ages 8 to 13 participated this year.

The Elks “Hoop Shoot” has served to highlight the Elks’ national commitment to youth. But the program started originally as a local Elks activity in Corvallis, Oregon, in 1946.

Out of that local program grew the national program, now in its 24th year. Each of the more than 2,200 Lodges was encouraged to establish its own local contest involving boys from ages 8 to 13. From the local area, contestants would advance through district, state, regional and national competitions.

In the first year, 1971, boys from 19 states participated. Two years later in 1973, more than 750,000 boys from 42 states took part in the contest. In the following year girls joined the competition, and the program has continued to expand ever since. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are represented.

From the millions of youngsters who participate, six champions are named — one boy and one girl in each of three age-groups: 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13. The winners each receive a trophy and their names are inscribed at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. Past champions include charter Dream Teamer Chris Mullin of the Golden State Warriors and former North Carolina State star Jennifer Howard.

The competition to become a champion is tough. A series of elimination competitions starts at the local level and advances through district, state and regional contests. At each level, contestants take a total of 25 free throws, with ties being resolved by five-shot shoot-offs. Of the three million participants, only 72 advance to the national finals in Springfield. National finalists average about 90 percent from the line.

The first national director of the contest was Gerald "Getty" Powell of Peru, Indiana, who retired from that position in 1979 to serve as a national trustee of the Elks. Powell continued to support the "Hoop Shoot" until he passed away March 4, 1996. The trophies awarded to the best overall boy and girl shooters are named in his honor.

Succeeding Powell was Emile Brady of Danville, Pennsylvania, who continues as national director. He has observed the ever-increasing popularity of the contest since the early '70s. The obvious reason for the growth of the program, he says, is that "the kids have fun and their parents view it as a worthwhile activity." But, he reasons, "There is much more benefit to be derived from the athletes' participation. They not only hone their athletic skills, they learn self-reliance, how to cope with winning and losing, and their social skills are developed, too. Parents and educators, alike, appreciate the program for those benefits. In this day and age of so many negative distractions for youngsters, our program provides a positive experience and a productive activity as an alternative to drug use and other temptations facing our young people. They are America's future, and the Elks have always believed that to be a sound investment of our resources as an organization."

Families participate with contestants throughout the competition. The parents of finalists on the state, regional and national levels attend the competitions as guests of the Elks.

The Elks “Hoop Shoot” has been effective not only in developing champions, but character as well. Educators and parents have endorsed the program. One parent wrote, “It teaches a person how to win in good grace and how to accept the moment of defeat without bitterness.”

The Elks “Hoop Shoot” Contest, as well as its companion activity, the Elks Drug Awareness Education Program, is funded entirely by the Elks National Foundation, the charitable arm of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America. With more than three million youngsters participating each year in the Elks National "Hoop Shoot" Free Throw Contest, the event for 8-to-13-year-old boys and girls is now the nation's biggest coeducational youth sports program. Any youngster in the age classification is eligible to compete in the Elks "Hoop Shoot." There is no charge to enter the contest.

The "Hoop Shoot" title was copyrighted in 1973.