ASHLAND The annual Elks Hoop Shoot's first national finals took place in 1972, but its birth truly occurred in the 1940s.
According to elks.org, Frank Hise, the late past national president of The Elks in Corvallis, Oregon, observed smaller children having a difficult time keeping up with the bigger boys playing basketball in 1946. So, he organized a free throw contest in which every kid could participate.
Twenty-six years later, Kansas City hosted the first Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals.
The Elks Lodge in Ashland, as usual, will participate in the event. It is scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 29, at 1 p.m. at Alumni Gym at 2699 Lexington Ave.
The competition includes three age divisions -- 8- and 9-year-olds; 10- and 11-year-olds; and 12- and 13-year-olds. There are six divisions overall, with boys and girls participating in each age group. Six local champions will be crowned. From there, winners will advance in the following succession: district, state, region and nation. The national finals take place in Chicago, Illinois. Local boy Carson Enochs advanced to the national level of the event two years ago.
Registration on Sunday begins at 12:30 p.m. The competition is free to all contestants.
Schools include Ashland, Russell, Boyd County, Fairview, Raceland, Greenup County, Holy Family, Carter County, Rose Hill and Lawrence County.
Bill Nolte, a 46-year member of The Elks, has been involved in the event for decades.
"Anybody who wants to come and shoot can come and shoot," Nolte said. "Participation has been down the last few years; we'd love to see more."
The younger ones, he said, shoot from a little closer. But the 10-11s and 12-13s let it fly from regulation free-throw distance -- 15 feet.
Each participant gets five practice shots.
After a practice round, everybody shoots 10 free throws in Round 1. Then, they all get a break. The second round consists of 15 foul shots. All told, it's the best of 25. A five-shot tiebreaker is in place, if necessary.
"It's a really good thing, and it's free," Nolte said. "It's a big deal to make it to State."
Nolte said everything is free. The Elks handles gas money and hotel lodging, he said, as players advance.
Nolte said he remembers when Kandi Brown, the daughter of the late Hop Brown, made it to the national finals. She eventually became a star basketball player at West Carter and Morehead State.