Nashua Elks New Hampshire State Elks Hoop Shoot Champion Heather Bridge, 10, will be among 36 male and female state champions from throughout New England who will compete in Portland, Maine, on Saturday, March 26. The Contest will start at 9:15 a.m. and is open to the public. The NE Regional is one of 12 being held in the country to determine the 72 national finalists. This is the fourth level of competition. Five years ago, the Greater Nashua Elks boosted its first National Hoop Shoot Champion when 12-year-old Caleb Donnelly of Hudson won the 12-13 Boys Division and was crowned as National Champion.

Now in its 39th year, the Elks “Hoop Shoot” National Free Throw Contest, sponsored by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, has grown into the largest co-educational sports program in the

country, allowing boys and girls to compete separately in three age groups, 8-9, 10-11 and 12-13. Each contest consists of 25 free throws. More than three million boys and girls have competed in this year’s program. The six regional winners from the Maine competition will have a chance to stake their claim to one of six coveted spots on the Elks “Hoop Shoot” plaque in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

Regional headquarters for the three-day event will be the Wyndham Portland Airport Hotel, where more than 250 Elks, parents and “Hoop Shoot” officials will congregate for the weekend activities.

Friday evening, the Regional Hoop Shoot Champions and their families will be treated to a Get Acquainted Party from 5:30-6:30 p.m. On Saturday morning, all will be transported to the Portland Lodge of

Elks for the Breakfast of Champions and then on to Scarborough High School for the Regional Hoop Shoot Contest. The Awards Banquet will be held back at the Wyndham Hotel at 5 p.m. with a speaking and awards program. A Sunday morning breakfast will be served for all the departing guests.

Newsletter