Setting Out on the Road to Springfield

Time flies when you’re having fun shooting hoops! With Lodge contests under way, some contestants have already hit the road to Springfield. District contests will begin right after we ring in 2015, and then it’s just four short months to National Finals. Here are some Lodge contest highlights. Check back often to stay up-to-date with all of the Hoop Shoot action!

Tamaqua, Pa., Lodge No. 592

Thirty-five Hoop Shoot hopefuls met in the Tamaqua Area Elementary School gym to give 25 free throws their best shot. After tough competition on the court and a fun trophy presentation at the Lodge, six winners were crowned. Next, they move on to Danville, Pennsylvania in February for the district contest. In March, the district winners will advance to the Pennsylvania state contest in State College, then to Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, for the Northeast Central Region 5 contest.

Tucumcari, N.M., Lodge No. 1172

Contestants at the Tucumcari, N.M., Lodge No. 1172 Hoop Shoot contest were already well-aware of the pressures of the Hoop Shoot—they were the best of 150 students participating in preliminary contests at five area schools. Winners of the Lodge contest not only recevied a drug awareness Hoop Shoot basketball, they punched their ticket for the district contest in January. On the horizon is the New Mexico state contest in Rio Rancho in February, and then the Southwest Region 11 contest in Dallas, Texas in March.

Boulder City, Nev., Lodge No. 1682

Boulder City, Nev., Lodge No. 1682’s annual Hoop Shoot contest did not disappoint. With 23 contestants stepping up to the line at the Boulder City Recretion Center, it was anyone’s contest to win. Fifteen members of a local Boy Scout troop, along with 13 Elks, were on hand to ensure the contest ran smoothly. Jeremy Spencer, the boys 8-9 winner, is pictured here sinking his winning shot. He’ll join the five other winners of Boulder City’s contest at the South Nevada district contest in January. For the district winners, it’s on to the Nevada State contest in Hawthorne at the beginnig of February. State winners move on to the West Region 7 contest in Las Vegas later that month.

Through the Elks National Hoop Shoot Free Throw Program, the Elks National Foundation offers youth the opportunity to engage in healthy competition, connect with their families and community, and succeed both on and off the court. In 2014-15, the ENF allocated $825,160 to fund this program. For more information on the Hoop Shoot, visit www.elks.org/hoopshoot