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Date: 11/3/2021
LUDLOW/WILBRAHAM- As part of the 50th anniversary of the National Elks Hoop Shoot contest for children ages 8 to 13, the Ludlow Elks Club will be hosting its round of the contest at the Scantic Valley YMCA on Nov. 6.
Susan Petzold, a member of the Ludlow Elks Club and organizer for the Hoop Shoot, said the free event kicks off at 9 a.m.
“It will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. The kids can sign up the day of the contest, it is free to the public and we are looking for anyone in the area to come. Contestants must be at least eight years old and no older than 13 as of April 1, 2022,” she said.
Once the contest begins, participants will be broken into three age groups separating girls and boys
“The age groups are 8 and 9, 10 and 11, and 12 and 13. The top athlete in each age group advances,” she said.
The only requirement for the contest other than age is that participants are required to wear gym shoes during the Hoop Shoot.
The contest itself is broken down into two rounds of free throw shots.
“Each contestant gets five warm up shots and then they shoot 10 shots for the score. The contestant then reports to the end of the line until the remaining contestants have completed the warmups and 10 shots. After the other contestants have finished shooting, the contestants will shoot 15 shots to complete the 25 shots for score,” she said.
Petzold added that the winners should provide a birth certificate before moving onto the next round to verify their age.
After the local round, Petzold said the winners will participate in larger contests as they make their way to the national finals in Chicago.
“We have lodge contests, then we go to district, state, region and then the grand finale is in Chicago. The grand finals will be April 30 in the Wintrust Arena in Chicago,” she said.
Up until 2015, Petzold said the finals took place in Springfield.
“In the past they had it in Springfield and then in 2016 they went to Chicago and Chicago is the home of our national Elks foundation, so that is why they went to Chicago,” she said.
After the contest, the winners’ names are put on a plaque the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.
“To me that is way cool. And if they make the finals, they also get playing cards, I think that is kind of neat,” she said.
Petzold added that she was happy to be a part of the tournament in its 50th year.
“It is neat to think that something like this has been around for 50 years and you can help the kids to see a dream if their dream is to be like any professional basketball player or college star and be that kid in the dream that can shoot the three pointer and win the game and maybe they started at the Elks Hoop Shoot,” she said.