Six Nashua Elks 2011 Southwest District Hoop Shoot Champions, four from Nashua – 13-year-old Michael Kernan, 10-year-old Tilak Patel, 10-year-old Heather Bridge and 9-year-old Hailey Sullivan – and two Hudson youths – 12-year-old Amanda Torres and 9-year-old Garrett Lambert – will compete against the Southeast, Northeast and Northwest District Champions for the 2011 State Elks State Hoop Shoot Free Throw Championship in Plymouth.

This will be the third level of competition since the Elks Hoop Shoot Free Throw contests began in December.

All contestants and their parents were the guests of the New Hampshire State Elks Association on Saturday when registration and drawing of shooting positions took place. A pizza and a pool party was held Saturday night followed this morning by a Breakfast of Champions.

All the competitors were then bussed to the Plymouth State Gymnasium for the State Elks Championship Hoop Shoot Free Throw contest, which got underway at 9:30 a.m. An awards dinner will be held at the Plymouth Lodge of Elks home following the competition.

As in all levels of competition, each boy and girl in their respective age division, (six), will shoot 25 free throws for score, with five extra tie-breakers as needed. The six New Hampshire State Hoop Shoot Champions will then go on to the New England Regional, which will be held in Portland, Maine on March 26. Regional winners (there are 12 Regional contests in the country), will then converge on the Springfield (Mass.) Civic Center for the Elks National Hoop Shoot Finals in April.

National winners will have their names inscribed in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

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