Elks Hoop Shoot Finals Crowns Six Champions

CHICAGO, April 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- After several rounds of increasingly difficult competition, the 72 best youth free-throw shooters in the nation stepped up to the line at Wintrust Arena in Chicago to duel for a national title. On April 22, only six walked away with trophies, but they all left knowing the value of the practice and perseverance it took to reach the national stage.

After a total of 1,517 made free throws, six champions were crowned:

8- to 9-year-olds
Cadence Watson of Ohio (24/25) and Armante Ventiquattro of New York (25/25)

10- to 11-year-olds
Alexa Tien of Colorado (23/25 and 9/10 in a shoot-off) and Tennyson Smith of Idaho (24/25)

12- to 13-year-olds
Morgan Miehle of West Virginia (25/25) and Tommy Goodelle of New York (25/25)

All six champions will have their names displayed in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., and will visit the Hall as guests of the Elks.

During the Hoop Shoot weekend, the finalists and their families enjoyed a night at Soldier Field and engaged in community service. They donated supplies and wrote thank-you cards to local veterans at V.A. centers in Chicago as a part of the Elks' pledge to help the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs eliminate homelessness among veterans.

Funded by the Elks National Foundation, the Hoop Shoot has been unleashing gritty kids for more than 50 years. Northwestern University Assistant Professor Dr. Lauren Eskreis-Winkler, a leading researcher on the science of grit, talked to families about the importance of grit as an indicator of success. The keynote speaker at the Awards Banquet, ESPN anchor Sarah Spain, shared her own story of grit and how she bounced back to achieve the success she has today.

The Elks organization, which will be hosting the Hoop Shoot National Finals again next year, is headquartered in Chicago.

The complete results from this year's Hoop Shoot are available at elks.org/hoopshoot. Next year's tournament tips off in the fall in local communities everywhere. Videos of the Finals are available at the Elks National Foundation's YouTube channel, enf.elks.org/HS23Playlist.

Contact: Abbey Knupp | Communications, Elks National Foundation
2750 N. Lakeview Avenue, Chicago, IL 60614-2256
773/755-4864 | [email protected]

SOURCE Elks National Foundation