NEWS

Contestants and their families are greeted Friday night with a Pizza Party at the hotel.

The Area 1 BPOE Hoop Shoot took place from March 6 to March 8, bringing together an impressive group of shooting talent from across New England. This annual regional competition featured enthusiastic participants representing the six New England states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island.

Parade of State Teams

Thirty-six shooters participated in the event, each having earned the title of state champion in one of six boys’ and girls’ divisions for entrants aged 8 to 13 years old. The competition was held at the Deering High School gymnasium in Portland, Maine. The presence of athletes from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island underscored the regional importance of the event.

The Hoop Shoot fosters a competitive yet friendly atmosphere where marksmen had the opportunity to showcase their skills and build camaraderie with fellow participants. Spectators witnessed remarkable demonstrations of accuracy and discipline as competitors aimed for top honors and the chance to represent New England at the National event, scheduled for April 16–19 at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. The event highlighted the dedication and sportsmanship of all involved.

Hoop Shoot, established in 1972 by the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, is a free throw contest dedicated to promoting youth development and sportsmanship throughout the United States. Initially launched as a local initiative, the program rapidly expanded to include regional and national competitions, attracting participants from every state.

The event is organized into three age groups each for boys and for girls, ages 8-9 years old, 10 to 11 and 12 to 13.  Each contestant takes 25 foul shots, ten each in the first round and then fifteen more in the second. After the group completes their shots, ties are determined by each of the affected shooters taking five more shots each till a winner is determined.

Barbara McCallum recognizes the two 12-13 y/o boys who tied for first place did so with 25 of 25 scores in the regular competition, with two tie-breakers being finally decided by one shot difference (10 of 10 versus 9 of 10).

For this year’s event, conducted the morning of Saturday, March 7^th, five shoot-offs were required in all to determine placing the contestants for 8-9 year-old girls’ 2^nd & 3^rd places,  10-11 year-old boys’ 2^nd & 3^rd places, 12-13 year-old girls’ 1^st & 2^nd and 3^rd places and 12-13 year-old boys’ 1^st & 2^nd places.

As the day wound to a close the six top shooters, going to represent New England at the Nation Shoot in April are

Logan Mulken-Rusin,
8-9 y/o girl from South Kingston, RI lodge 1899

Tyler Brightman,
8-9 y/o boy from Fall River, MA lodge 118

Harper Small,
10-11 y/o girl from Augusta, ME lodge 964

Jack Young,
10-11 y/o boy from Nashua, NH lodge 720

Lilly Panda,
12-13 y/o girl from Beverly-Peabody, MA lodge 1309

Charlie Granato,
12-13 y/o boy from Marshfield, MA lodge 2494

BATH, ME – Maine’s Hoop Shoot story for the 2025 fraternal year reached an exciting milestone on Sunday, January 25th. Eighteen elite young athletes from across the state’s three Elks Districts—Coastal, Central, and Northern—converged on the Bath Middle School gymnasium to determine the top free-throw shooters in the state.

The competition brought together the best Boy and Girl shooters who had previously advanced through local lodge and district levels, representing a high standard of focus and athletic skill.

The following athletes earned their spot at the state level:

• 8-9 Year-Old Division: Amaya Perone (Sanford) & Benny Lamour (Portland), Miya Morse (Waterville) & Beckly Faulkner (Waterville), Addalyn Hewes (Presque Isle) & Nick Hopkins (Presque Isle)
• 10-11 Year-Old Division: Charlotte Lamb (Brunswick) & Jerry Dauphne (Brunswick), Harper Small (Augusta) & Teagon Bowlin (Augusta), Madelyn Pelletier (Millinocket) & Sawyer St. Peter (Presque Isle)
• 12-13 Year-Old Division: Emma Stackpole (Rockland) & Todd Kinny (Bath), Madison Magnusson (Augusta) & Landon Magnusson (Augusta), Natalie Porter (Presque Isle) & Ryder Holdsworth (Houlton).

The atmosphere in the gymnasium was one of intense concentration. The level of competition was remarkably high, necessitating several best-of-five shoot-offs to resolve ties in closely contested brackets. Throughout the pressure-filled rounds, the competitors were praised for their poise and exceptional sportsmanship.

The day was capped off by a rare and impressive feat from the Central District. Siblings Landon and Madison Magnusson of Augusta dominated the court, posting the highest scores of the entire event.

Landon Magnusson secured the Amos McCallum Award for the top boy shooter, missing only a single shot to finish with a stellar 24 out of 25.

Madison Magnusson followed suit, hitting 23 out of 25 to earn the Allen Richard Award for the top girl shooter.

As the 2025 Hoop Shoot journey continues, these athletes have set a high bar for excellence, with the two Magnussons along with Miya Morse, Nick Hopkins, Harper Small and Sawyer St Peter moving on to represent the best of Maine’s youth sports at the New England Regional competition where they’ll face off against the top shooters from New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire this coming March in South Portland.