Elks Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest: Rules and How to Enter

The Elks Hoop Shoot is one of the longest-running youth free throw competitions in the United States, administered by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks through its national youth programs infrastructure. The contest runs from local lodge rounds all the way to a national championship, giving children a structured path through competitive free throw shooting across six age divisions. Understanding the bracket structure, age cutoffs, and advancement rules is what separates a prepared participant from one who shows up confused about which line to stand behind.

Definition and scope

The Elks Hoop Shoot Free Throw Contest is a national nonprofit youth program sponsored by the Elks National Foundation, designed to encourage physical fitness and sportsmanship in children ages 8 through 13. The program operates through the BPOE's network of local lodges, which serve as the entry point for every participant. There is no national registration portal — a child enters through a sponsoring Elks lodge in their area, which is a detail that trips up families who try to search for a centralized sign-up form.

The program is part of a broader suite of Elks youth programs that also includes the Elks Soccer Shoot, though the Hoop Shoot predates the Soccer Shoot by decades and operates on a considerably larger scale. According to the BPOE, the Hoop Shoot has involved more than 6 million children since its founding, making it one of the most participated-in fraternal youth sports programs in American history.

How it works

The contest is organized as a four-level elimination tournament:

Local lodge round — Held at or near participating Elks lodges, typically between November and January of each contest year. This is the open entry point.
District round — Winners from local lodges advance to compete against peers from neighboring lodges within a geographic district.
State round — District winners compete at the state level, with state organizations coordinating the venue and logistics.
National championship — State champions travel to a single national event where the final competition takes place, producing one national champion per age-and-gender division.

Each participant shoots 25 free throws. The shooter with the highest number of made shots in their division advances. In the event of a tie, a shoot-off determines the winner — typically a series of additional free throw attempts until one shooter pulls ahead.

The six competitive divisions are defined by age and gender:

Boys ages 8–9
Girls ages 8–9
Boys ages 10–11
Girls ages 10–11
Boys ages 12–13
Girls ages 12–13

Age eligibility is determined as of April 1 of the contest year, which is the cutoff date that catches families off guard most often. A child who turns 14 before April 1 is ineligible for that contest cycle, even if they were 13 when they competed at the local level.

Common scenarios

The age-bracket question. A child born in February who turns 10 before the local round in December is competing as a 10–11-year-old for that entire contest cycle, because their age on April 1 — not their age on competition day — governs placement. This is the most commonly misapplied rule at the local lodge level.

Geographic flexibility. A child does not need to be the child or grandchild of an Elks member to participate. The program is open to the general public through any sponsoring lodge. A family without Elks affiliation can contact any local lodge hosting a Hoop Shoot event and register their child — the Elks lodge locator guide is the practical starting point for finding the nearest host location.

Conflict with school sports. Because local rounds typically fall in November and December, participants in school basketball programs sometimes face scheduling conflicts. The Hoop Shoot is a standalone competition — there is no connection to school athletic eligibility, and participation does not affect amateur standing under any state athletic association framework.

Decision boundaries

The Hoop Shoot sits in a specific category among youth athletic competitions: it is not a scholarship program, not a fitness certification, and not affiliated with any school or municipal parks department. It is a fraternal civic program administered entirely by the BPOE. That distinction matters practically — there is no formal appeal process through an external athletic body if a lodge dispute arises. Resolution happens within the lodge or district structure.

The contrast with the Elks Most Valuable Student Award is instructive. The MVS is a scholarship competition evaluated on academic merit, financial need, and community engagement. The Hoop Shoot evaluates exactly one thing: free throw accuracy. The two programs share a sponsoring organization but operate through entirely separate administrative channels and serve different age populations.

Hoop Shoot participation does not require a fee at the national level, though individual lodges may handle local logistics differently. Any cost associated with travel to district, state, or national rounds is typically managed through the lodge sponsorship structure — lodges often fundraise specifically to cover travel expenses for advancing contestants.

The basketball used at the national championship meets regulation NBA size and weight specifications. Younger age divisions at local rounds may use a smaller ball at the lodge's discretion, but by the state and national level, the equipment is standardized regardless of the competitor's age bracket.

References

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