Skip to main content

Shooting Hoops with Scholars


By 2012 Most Valuable Student Scholar and Elks Scholar Advisory Board Member Karsten Coates

The Elks National Hoop Shoot is about so much more than basketball. The Hoop Shoot is about teaching kids what it means have goals and dedication, and it is a terrific vessel in uniting communities because it connects youth from across the U.S. When I went to this year’s Hoop Shoot National Finals in Springfield, Mass., I expected to see a bunch of kids that were good at basketball. Instead, I was greeted by a bunch of youth who were great at basketball.

The Hoop Shoot Finals took many of these kids on their first plane ride and taught them levels of maturity that I was surprised to find in 8- to 13-year-olds. The competitors treated each other as true friends off the court and many made plans to keep in touch.

More importantly, they were all humble and caring. While playing horse with one 8 year old, he stopped the game while I was losing and said that we could switch scores, taking pity on me even though I was more than twice his age and twice his height…he still won.

Then there were other kids who, dedicated to going to college, asked me to write down a list of scholarships that I had applied for—the Elks Most Valuable Student scholarship being one of them—so that they could apply when they got older.

SAB Members Macy Warburton,
Clara Ritger and Karsten Coates
Despite the differences in personalities and backgrounds, all of these kids were excellent at, yes, basketball. I didn’t think that watching person after person take free-throw shots would be a lot of fun, but when multiple competitors sank every shot, I sat on the edge of my seat knowing that a single missed shot could cost someone the competition.

The experience was memorable for me because it opened my eyes to how great an impact the Hoop Shoot has on the lives of its competitors and the communities that they live in.
 
Through the Elks National Hoop Shoot Free Throw Program, the Elks National Foundation offers youth the opportunity to engage in healthy competition, connect with their families and community, and succeed both on and off the court. In 2013-14, the ENF allocated $692,750 to fund this program. For more information on the Hoop Shoot, visit www.elks.org/hoopshoot.
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Labels

Show more

Popular posts from this blog

Seizing Every Opportunity

Reflections from the SAB President By Kat Nakamura 2019 MVS Scholar Hi, Elks Family! I’m Kat Nakamura, a 2019 MVS Scholar currently serving as the president of the Scholar Advisory Board. My time with the Elks has been a transformative experience, not only providing me with financial support for my education but opening the door to a nurturing community of like-minded individuals and remarkable opportunities. My journey began when I applied for the Elks Most Valuable Student scholarship, and little did I know it was just the beginning of a life-changing adventure. Months later, my mom encouraged me to apply to join the Scholar Advisory Board. Initially hesitant, I thought there was no chance of being accepted. Little did I realize that this decision would lead me to one of my most cherished experiences throughout college. The Scholar Advisory Board are the representatives that advise the ENF on scholar relations. Apart from being on the board, members attend the Elks National Conve...
Post a Comment
Read more

A Boatload of Scholars, a Busload of Clothes

By: Aditi V. Patel,  2019 Most Valuable Student scholar Last week, I had the pleasure of serving alongside 20 other amazing Elks scholars as a part of the Tampa Elks Scholar Service Trip. I did my research before the trip and found that Hurricane Ian had displaced more than 40,000 Floridians in September 2022—I wanted to do something to help! After landing in Tampa, we got right to work by sorting a busload (literally) of clothing that Tampa, Fla., Lodge No. 708 collected from the community for Greater Pine Island. We organized each item of clothing by size, made sure each item was in good condition, and placed them into bags. Whenever there weren’t clothes at my table, I would shift to another station to help others, and I saw other scholars doing the same. It was amazing to see everyone laboriously working for hours without any complaints, learning names and fun facts as we went. We had dinner at the Tampa Elks Lodge, which is where I had my first genuine conversations w...
3 comments
Read more

Elks Scholar to Scholar Fellow

by Raleigh Cury, Elks Scholar Fellow My first week as the Elks Scholar Fellow has been a whirlwind. Unfortunately, there was a hiccup with my work laptop, as it seems to have been either lost in the mail or stolen from my doorstep. Luckily, the ENF was able to get a second one to me quickly! Besides that, it has been a smooth transition into a new job! Everyone has been warm and welcoming, and I am very excited for what is to come. I have started brainstorming about the Winter Elks Scholar Service Trip. My initial idea is to provide disaster relief in Florida in the wake of Hurricane Ian. We might not do disaster relief, but Florida has become a strong contender for the trip. As a life-long resident of the South, I am especially excited to have a job that will take me all over the country.   In fact, I will be flying to Chicago for the job for the first time in less than a month.   I graduated in 2021 from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where I was heavil...
5 comments
Read more