The BPO Elks of the U.S.A.

Hoop Shoot® Program
The Elks National "Hoop Shoot" free throw shooting contest is the largest and most visible of the many youth activities sponsored by Elks lodges throughout the country. More than three million boys and girls form ages 8 to 13 participate each year.

The Elks "Hoop Shoot" has served to highlight the Elks' national commitment to youth. But the program started originally as a local Elks activity in Corvallis, Oregon in 1946.

Out of the program grew the national competition. Each of the more thaw 2,200 Lodges was encouraged to establish its own local contest involving boys from ages 8 to 13. From the local area, contestants would advance through district, state, regional and national competitions.

In the first year, 1971, boys from 19 states participated. Two years later in 1973, more than 750,000 boys from 42 states took part in the contest. In the following year the girls joined the competition, and the program has continued to expand every year since. All 50 states and the District of Columbia are represented.

From the millions of youngsters who participate, six champions are named -- one boy and one girl in each three age groups: 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13. The winners each receive a trophy, and their names are inscribed at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts. National finalists average around 90 percent.

Families participate with contestants throughout the competition. The parents of finalists on the state, region and national levels attend the competitions as guests of the Elks.

The Elks "Hoop Shoot" has been effective not only in developing champions, but character as well. Educators and parents have endorsed the program. On parent wrote, "It teaches a person how to win in good grace and how to accept the moment of defeat without bitterness."

The Elks "Hoop Shoot" Contest is funded entirely by the Elks National Foundation, the primary charitable arm of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks of the United States of America.