Alexandra Hendricks Bounces Back from Hoop Shoot Defeat

Name: Alexandra Hendricks

College: University of Virginia (B.S.), University of Pennsylvania (MBA)

Sponsoring Lodge: Vero Beach, Fla, Lodge No. 1774

National Finals: 2003, 12-13 Girls; 2004,12-13 Girls

National Finals Score: 2nd place, 23/25; 10th place, 14/25

The values we learn in our childhood are the values we carry into adulthood. Each of these values is established through experiences that change how we act and think, and for Alexandra Hendricks, she knows the exact experience that made her the hard working, relentless and family-oriented person she is today—the Hoop Shoot.

When Alexandra began practicing free throws, she spent hours working toward a goal she wasn’t sure she could achieve, which was making it to the National Finals. In 2003, she reached that goal. After making 23 baskets, she came up just one short of first place, but she was determined to be number one.

Alexandra returned to the National Finals the following year with high hopes. Unfortunately, she fell short. She shot her last basket with tears in her eyes and returned to her seat without accomplishing her goal.

“I remember shaking from embarrassment until the line judge came up to me and told me how impressed he was because, despite the shots I missed, I never gave up,” Alexandra says.

After sharing that moment with the line judge, Alexandra learned the importance of never giving up. No matter how bad things seem in the moment, if you keep moving forward, Alexandra learned that good things will come.

Although that was her last year of participating in the Hoop Shoot, Alexandra reflects on the lesson that had the biggest impact on her—how important it is to be able to lean on a supportive family at any moment.

While she was practicing, Alexandra’s dad would stand under the hoop for hours, rebounding balls in the hot Florida sun. Then, her parents were in the bleachers at every Hoop Shoot contest—from Florida to Georgia, and all the way to Massachusetts. Their support lifted an immeasurable weight off Alexandra’s shoulders at every stage.

“This program not only taught me how to be a dedicated basketball player, but also what it means to be a dedicated parent when that day comes,” Alexandra says.

If Alexandra could pass on advice to this year’s National Finalists, she would remind them of their accomplishments in getting to where they are today, and of the work it took to get here. She would encourage them to apply that dedication to other tasks they have to handle later in life.

“You’ve seen through the Hoop Shoot what hard work can get you, so never sell yourselves short,” Alexandra says.

Today, Alexandra continues playing basketball as the only female on an all-male, intermural team at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. She also volunteers with kids’ athletic and educational programs in New York City and Minnesota. She’s constantly trying to instill in them how they can apply the lessons they learn in basketball to every aspect of their lives, but she also reminds them to be kids and have fun—just like what the Hoop Shoot was for her.

“This program gave me moments of pure bliss and enormous disappointment, but throughout it all, it helped me mature as a person and build character,” Alexandra says.

Alexandra wants to remind this year's hoop shooters to live in the moment, and to not get too caught up in winning or losing "because there are going to be endless opportunities to prove yourselves."