|
|
|
PENNSYLVANIA ELKS STATE
ASSOCIATION
|
37th Annual State "Hoop Shoot"
March 7, 2009
State College, PA
|
|
|
The Elks National "Hoop Shoot" Free Throw Program is open to all
boys and girls, ages 8 through 13. All public and private schools within
the jurisdiction of the local Elk Lodge are invited to participate in the
Elks National "Hoop Shoot" Free Throw Contest. Depending on
interest, many school districts may participate in the Lodge contest.
The six Lodge Champions, one boy and one girl in each age-group, will
advance to a District contest. A typical District contest may have from
five to 12 lodge entries in each category and age-group. The six finalists
in each District contest will advance to the State finals. The State
Champions will compete at a Regional contest to determine the contestants
that will compete at the National Finals. Your local "Hoop Shoot"
Director can tell you the number of lodges and districts in your state and
the states that make up your region.
The Elks’ nationwide sanctioned program gives youngsters an
opportunity for spirited competition, fine relationships with their peers,
and travel statewide, regionally and nationally at minimal expense to their
parents or school. The parents of finalists at the state, regional and
national levels attend the competition as guests of the Elks.
|
|
Pennsylvania Elks
State Hoop Shoot Committee
2008-2009
State Director: Steven Lucas
Tyrone Elks Lodge No. 212
North Central District.
hoopshoots@aol.com
Assistant Director: William F Reiber
State College Elks Lodge No. 1600
North Central District
2008-2009 Pennsylvania
Hoop Shoot
Contest Dates &
Chairmen
|
District Contests
|
|
|
|
Northeast
|
Saturday, Jan. 10 @ 11:00 am
|
Hazelton Penn State Campus
|
|
Mark Brennan
|
570-454-2082
|
|
|
|
|
|
Northeast Central
|
Sunday, Jan. 18 @ 1:00 pm
|
Columbia Montour Vo-Tech
|
|
Kevin Brouse
|
570-275-6316
|
golphklubs@yahoo.com
|
|
|
|
|
Southeast
|
Sunday, Jan. 25 @ 1:00 pm
|
Albright College
|
|
Barry Shultz
|
610-775-9589
|
nook 542@aol.com
|
|
|
|
|
Northwest
|
Saturday, Jan. 31 @ 12:45 pm
|
Titusville High School
|
|
Tim McCandless
|
814-827-3965
|
tmccandless1@msn.com
|
|
|
|
|
South Central
|
Sunday, Jan. 25 @ 1:00 pm
|
Carlisle High School
|
|
Kathy Kendall
|
717-485-0221
|
kjkendall42@yahoo.com
|
|
|
|
|
West
|
Saturday, Jan. 31 @ 1:00 pm
|
Mars High School
|
|
Ken Miller
|
724-458-1201
|
Kmiller@sippelsteelfab.com
|
|
|
|
|
Metropolitan
|
Saturday, Feb. 7 @ 10:00 am
|
Good Shepard Catholic Church
|
|
William Smoulder
|
412-322-1347
|
butch339@comcast.net
|
|
|
|
|
Southwest
|
Saturday, Feb. 7 @ 10:00 am
|
Connellsville Jr. High School East
|
|
David Pular
|
724-415-9820
|
sgtpepr10@hotmail.com
|
|
|
|
|
North Central
|
Saturday, Feb 7 @ 12:00 pm
|
Tyrone High School
|
|
Steven Lucas
|
814-684-1218
|
hoopshoots@aol.com
|
|
|
|
|
West Central
|
Sunday, Jan. 25 @ 1:00 pm
|
Homer Center High School
|
|
Gary Shephard
|
724-459-7701
|
gary.shepherd@mcjunkinredman.com
|
|
|
|
|
State Contest
|
Saturday, March 7 @ 10:15 am
|
State College High School
|
|
Steven Lucas
|
814-684-1218
|
hoopshoots@aol.com
|
|
|
|
|
Regional Contest
|
Saturday, March 28 @ 10:00 am
|
Coughlin High School
|
|
|
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
|
|
Frank Bonner
|
570-735-5765
|
fbonner@tclloyd.com
|
|
|
|
|
National Finals
|
Saturday, April 26 @ 9:45 am
|
Western New England College
|
|
|
Springfield, Ma.
|
|
Cam Cronk
|
406-652-5818
|
ccronk@ehoopshoot.org
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
First, we ask that you permit us to give you a brief history of
basketball, then we'll tell you all about the Elks Hoop Shoot Program.
The game of basketball began in the winter of 1891, at the Young Men's ChristianTraining School
in Springfield, Massachusetts. The game's inventor was a
faculty member, Dr. James Naismith, who was simply looking for a new sporting
activity to give students something worthwhile to fill the void between the
Football and Baseball seasons. Thus it was in December of 1891 that Dr.
Naismith put his new idea into actual practice: with not even an inkling of
just how big the new physical activity would become.
Naismith began his initial "Basketball" game by splitting his
class members into two separate teams, while the school janitor brought in a
pair of peach baskets that Dr. Naismith designated as "goals."
These "goals" would facilitate the scoring for the new sport, while
two students, Frank Mahan and Duncan Patton, were then given the task of
choosing up sides. Thus, the first Basketball game in history began, and it
fell to William R. Chase, a youngster from New Bedford, Massachusetts,
to be the person who scored the initial and only goal of the contest. Dr.
Naismith had also devised thirteen rules for his new sport, and although many
changes have taken place since 1891, five of his rules remain in operation.
But the first game in Basketball's history was a truly defensive one, and
the final score was 1-0. Actually, the first "official" basketball
game took place on January
12, 1892, and Dr. James Naismith's new game would become famous
the world over. It has also given the B.P.O.E. it's most popular youth
activity, so please allow us a few minutes to tell you more about our
"Hoop Shoot" and how it began.
The Elks Hoop Shoot Competition was begun as a local Elks Lodge event in Corvallis, Oregon,
No. 1413 in the late 1960's, and in 1970 was instituted by the Oregon Elks as
a statewide Youth Activity while native son Frank Hise was serving as Grand
Exalted Ruler. The Oregon Elks State Association saw nearly 100,000 kids
participate in a "boys-only" format in age brackets 8 to 9 years,
10 to 11 years and 12 to 13 years ---- and while this is how it is still done
to this day as far as the age groups are concerned, girls have been included
since 1974 and shoot in their own gender categories according to the
aforementioned age brackets.
All Pennsylvania Elks Hoop Shoot contestants are given a brief warm-up
period before they begin their quest to sink as many as possible of 25 shots
from the foul line. Ties are frequent and all are broken by giving each of
the participants an equal number of extra shots until one wins. Since we have
three distinct age categories, a child's birthday is very critical in
determining what age bracket an entrant will compete in. All these rules will
be made quite clear prior to sign-up at the local level.
It was during Grand Exalted Ruler Francis M. Smith's administration in
1972 that the committee was asked to attempt Oregon's Hoop Shoot on a
national basis; the result being 24 happy young men shooting from eight Elks
regions at Kansas City, MO. The next year saw the addition of another region
and this time 27 sharp shooting boys were competing in the National Hoop
Shoot Finals. Gerald L. "Getty" Powell was appointed as the first
National Hoop Shoot Director in 1972, and his guidance and devotion to young
people was a driving force in the rapid expansion of the Elks Hoop Shoot.
"Getty" Powell was a proud, dedicated and active member at the Peru, Indiana,
Elks Lodge No. 365, and his accomplishments are too numerous to list here.
Powell was replaced in 1979 by another equally talented and devoted Elk,
Emile J. Brady of the Danville,
Pennsylvania, Elks Lodge No.
754. A Past State President of our Association, Emile began what proved to be
a quarter of a century of service to the Hoop Shoot --- and the Elks program
saw its biggest growth in that same time frame. Under Emile's guidance,
always with his gracious wife, Joy, at his side, this program became the
premier youth athletic event of its kind in these United States of America.
By 1975 the Elks had also included the National Winners names on a
beautiful plaque that hangs permanently in the James Naismith Basketball Hall
of Fame in Springfield, MA. This is where all National Winner have
their names engraved, and this section of the Hall of Fame was dedicated for
the Elks in 1976 by Grand Exalted Ruler George E. Klein. Today, the Elks Hoop
Shoot Program is the largest such event in America and we see well over a
million kids, male and female; participate across the country each year. The national
shoot-off is now held every April in the most appropriate spot, the Hall of
Fame, and brings kids, Elks and families together for two days to show how
friendly competition can build character and confidence.
Emile J. Brady retired from his National Hoop Shoot responsibilities in
1997, and not only has he left us with the most successful Elk program in
history, but the lives he touched with his visionary ability and managerial
skills will live on for future generations who like the thrill of competing
one-on-one.
The Hoop Shoot competition here in Pennsylvania's ten districts and 105
Elks Lodges begins in the late fall and early winter and consists of local
contests, with the winners of these events representing those Lodges at their
district Hoop Shoot. These district winners then advance to the State Finals,
presently held at State College High School in State College, Pennsylvania,
each March; the winners here have their names engraved on the Pennsylvania
Elks Hoop Shoot plaque in State College. Expenses are paid for the winning
players and those who score highest in one of the six bracket titles then
advance to the Regional Hoop Shoot in Wilkes-Barre,
Pennsylvania. Here they compete
against the best free throw shooters from Pennsylvania,
New York and New Jersey. Should you claim a victory in
Wilkes-Barre, then you and your family will be headed to Springfield, MA, in
April for the National Hoop Shoot finals at the James Naismith Basketball
Hall of Fame PLUS a chance to see your name engraved for all time on the Elks
Hoop Shoot plaque that hangs there permanently.
The 2007-2008 Pennsylvania Elks Hoop Shoot finals took place at State
College, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, March 8, 2008, and the Regional contest
at Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, was held on Saturday, March 22, 2008. The Elks
National Hoop Shoot Finals took place at the National Basketball Hall of Fame
in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday, April 22, 2008.
The 2008-2009 Pennsylvania Elks Hoop Shoot finals will be held at State
College, Pennsylvania on Saturday, March 7, 2009, and the Regional contest at
Wilkes-Barre, on Saturday, March 28, 2009. The Elks National Hoop Shoot
Finals will take place at the National Basketball Hall of Fame in
Springfield, Massachusetts, on Saturday, April 26, 2009.
That's our Pennsylvania Elks State Association Hoop Shoot Program in a
nutshell, an event that is currently under the capable leadership of Steve
Lucas of Tyrone Lodge No. 212 of the North Central District. If you have any
questions as to how and when you can find an Elks Hoop Shoot in your
Pennsylvania community, please E-Mail Director Steve Lucas at hoopshoots@aol.com. You can also locate
the nearest Elks Lodge quickly by using the link to our Pennsylvania Elks
Homepage shown at the bottom of this page. Hey, thanks a million for visiting
us --- and may we be the first to wish you good luck in the Pennsylvania Elks
Hoop Shoot for 2008-2009.
|