Palmer Elks Hoop Shoot
Contributed by Megan Knutson
Please join us for the annual Palmer Elks Hoop Shoot December 14 at Colony High School. The Elk’s Hoop Shoot is a free throw competition for children ages 8–13 that helps them develop grit and prepare for future success.
How it works: Local Elks Lodges host the competition, and participants advance through local, district, state, and regional levels to the National Finals. Six national champions are named, one boy and one girl in each of the three age categories.
What's at stake: Winners receive a trophy and their names are permanently inscribed in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
Benefits: The program helps participants develop grit by setting goals, working hard, and learning to bounce back from failure.
History: The program was started in 1946 by Frank Hise, who noticed kids on the sidelines at a playground in Corvallis, Oregon.
Rules: Contestants have up to 10 seconds to make a free throw attempt. Contestants must stay behind the foul line until the ball touches the hoop, backboard, or net. Ties are broken by taking five additional shots. You can learn more about the Elks Hoop Shoot at elks.org/hoopshoot.