The free throw line can be a lonely place. All eyes are on you. There’s nowhere to run if you miss, no excuses, and no one else to blame. There’s no choice but to pick yourself up and try again.
But, the free throw line is also a place where hard work pays off. It’s where dreams come true and champions are made.
From April 16 to 19, Elks Hoop Shoot National Finalists, their families, and Elk fans traveled to Chicago for the 2026 Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals. Though only six of the 72 Finalists walked away with gold medals and the others learned the tough lessons that the free throw line so willingly provides, the weekend was about so much more than making baskets.
“The hospitality, the thought, the intention, the way the Elks make the kids feel seen and special—from top to bottom, this has been a really incredible journey,” says Angel Regel, mother of Boys 10-11 National Finalist Leonidas Regel, sponsored by Ohio River Valley, Ohio, Lodge No. 231.
The Finalists who advanced to Chicago didn’t get there by accident; they survived Lodge, District, State, and Regional competitions, winning at every stop along the way. For many, getting to Chicago was a distant dream or something they didn’t even know was possible when they competed in a preliminary contest during their gym class.
“It feels amazing to be in Chicago,” says Charlie Zumwalt, mother of Girls 8-9 National Finalist Piper Zumwalt, sponsored by Lewiston, Idaho, Lodge No. 896. “At the Lodge level, we learned how far this tournament goes, and we were like, ‘Wow you can make it to Chicago,’ and she was so determined to make it. So, to be here and watch her feels incredible.”
The Elks Hoop Shoot isn’t about being the tallest, or the strongest, or the fastest—it’s about hard work and dedication. As the Finalists arrived, the magnitude of their achievements was on full display. Red, white, and blue Hoop Shoot balloons towered over their heads, and the Regional Directors were eager to greet them. Fellow competitors roamed the halls, proudly showing off their state and regional gear.
“The Elks volunteers put so much into this weekend make us feel special and like we earned this,” says Emily Crawford, a three-time National Finalist sponsored by Rapid City, S.D., Lodge No. 1187. As a 13-year-old, 2026 was her last year of eligibility. “I want to say thank you, but I also want to give all the volunteers a big hug and tell them that this is so special.”
The free throw line can be a lonely place, but at the Elks Hoop Shoot National Finals, nobody is ever alone.
Free throws may be the reason for the weekend, but the contest was far from the only special event for Finalists. When they arrived, each Finalist received a book of Best sWishes, well-wishes from family and friends; exclusive National Finals t-shirts; and, most special of all, their very own trading cards.
“I’m so happy to be here,” says Rory McNerney, a 12-13 Boys National Finalist sponsored by Loudoun, Va., Lodge No. 2406. “I mean, I got my own trading card for crying out loud. This is great!”
Inspired by professional trading cards, these served as a reminder of the Finalist’s achievements and were the perfect way for Finalists to meet each other. Many of them were eager to collect cards from the other 71 competitors, with some returning Finalists asking to swap cards with others before they even had a chance to check-in for the weekend.
“Our daughter is more reserved and introverted,” wrote a Hoop Shoot parent in the anonymous post-contest survey. “The whole weekend was not something she would typically enjoy or take part in. It was really special to see her do things that were out of her comfort zone and not only participate, but enjoy and thrive in the activities, particularly the trading cards.”
After the Finalists collected as many cards as they could, they put their knowledge to the test with family-friendly trivia. The room was nearly overflowing with participants, but in the end, only six teams walked away with prizes after two games of trivia.
The free throw line is a very familiar place for every Finalist, but in a new environment, even the most familiar place can feel foreign. Friday morning, competitors got the chance to shake off the rust and get re-acquainted with the hoop at the practice gym. The competitors weren’t the only ones shaking off the rust, though—members of the Hoop Shoot Alumni Advisory Board, aka the BackBoard, prepared for their role in the contest by catching the shots that were made or rebounding the rare ones that were missed. In between free throws, they were able to make new friends and serve as mentors for the competitors.
That afternoon, the Finalists attended a Chicago Cubs game at the historic Wrigley Field. Chicago weather is always unpredictable, but this April afternoon couldn’t have been more perfect.
“It was really fun getting to watch a Cubs game at Wrigley Field,” says Aurie. “At this point, it doesn’t matter if I win the contest because I already won a trip to Chicago.”
After some last-second encouragement from the movie “Like Mike,” the Finalists went to bed. The night before the big day can be nerve-wracking for everyone involved, but when a competitor makes it this far, they can rest assured that it’s not by accident.
“There’s really only one winner all the way through, so everybody loses at some point,” says D.J. Cooper, father of 2026 National Finalist siblings Elaine and Anthony (Tony) Cooper. “It teaches you that life is about mistakes and what do you about them.”
Wintrust Arena can be an intimidating place, even for the most seasoned Hoop Shoot veterans. Home to the WNBA Chicago Sky, DePaul Blue Demons, and NBA Draft Combine, this 10,000-seat arena has hosted many of basketball’s rising stars, including Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and Paige Bueckers.
“Walking into Wintrust Arena for the first time is so cool,” says Emily. The first time she stepped up to the line at Wintrust, she was 9 years old. Four years later, the awe is still the same. “It’s so big, and I’ve never seen anything like it. It’s just amazing.”
The lights went down and the music turned up. The 8- to 9-year-old Finalists ran onto the court, canopied by a tunnel of volunteers and the keynote speaker of the evening, Olympic gold medalist Erin Jackson. It was finally the time that everyone had been waiting for.
For some of the competitors, traveling to Chicago for the Finals was their first time on a plane. For others who had competed on the Hoop Shoot’s biggest stage multiple times before, Wintrust Arena may have felt as familiar as their own school’s gym. But when the Finalists stepped up to the line, height, strength, speed, or experience didn’t matter. What mattered was the practice it took to get there and their ability to make free throws with everyone watching.
From the start, it was clear that these National Finals would be ones for the record books. In the Boys 8-9 division, Kion Montoya, Cooper Cook, Clayton Volk, and Tony Cooper all made 24/25 free throws, placing them in a four-way tie for first place and requiring a shoot-off to determine the winner. Kion and Cooper both made all five of their extra shots while the others did not, leaving a two-way tie.
Kion went first in the second round of five shots, but only made four, leaving the door open for Cooper. After Cooper missed his first free throw, he regained his composure and made the rest, forcing yet another round of five extra shots.
This time, Kion slammed the door shut by making all five extra shots. When Cooper missed his first shot once more, Kion, sponsored by Artesia, N.M., Lodge No. 1717, claimed his gold medal.
The girls’ side also required shoot-offs to determine the top three finishers. After Malia Robinson scored a perfect five for five in her extra round to clinch a bronze medal, Marina Abou-Daoud and Braylyn Nickerson entered their shoot-off for the gold. Once again, one round was not enough, as both competitors sank four of five. Braylyn placed pressure on Marina by making another four of five in the second set of extra shots, but Marina, sponsored by Lambertville, N.J., Lodge No. 1070, overcame the pressure of the moment to make all five shots and become a Frank Hise National Champion.
As the second round of the Girls 10-11 division began, 2024 Frank Hise National Champion Ainsley Weaver was already head and shoulders above the rest of the division after scoring a perfect 10 for 10. By the time her 22nd total shot fell through the net, Ainsley, sponsored by Chillicothe, Ohio, Lodge No. 52, had earned her second national championship in three years.
The gold medal in the Boys 10-11 division was also won without a shoot-off, but that doesn’t mean this contest lacked drama. As Tre Estes, final contestant in the division, began his final 15 free throws, he had a perfect score and needed to make at least 14 to win the gold. He dug deep, unleashed his grit, and made all 15, tallying the first perfect score of the day and earning the gold medal and Emile Brady Award, which is awarded to Finalists with a perfect score.
Though the fans at Wintrust Arena were just treated to an impressive performance, they didn’t have to wait very long for another piece of Hoop Shoot history. After the first round of the Boys 12-13 division, four different Finalists were tied at 10/10, with another three Finalists closely behind at 9/10. As the last competitor of the division, Duncan Walker, took the line for his final 15 free throws, his margin for error was slim: four competitors had made 23 free throws, and three competitors had made 24. He had to be perfect for the gold.
Just as Tre had done before him, Duncan, a three-time National Finalist sponsored by Henderson/Green Valley, N.V., Lodge No. 2802, confidently stepped up, went through his routine, and knocked down all 15 free throws to finish with a gold medal and the second perfect score of the day.
On the other side of the court, Logyn Parkinson, sponsored by Grand Rapids, Mich., Lodge No. 48, seemed to be following in Tre and Duncan’s footsteps, as she started a perfect 16/16. She missed her next shot, but finished with an impressive 24/25 to slide into first place. Competitor after competitor was unable to tie Logyn, until it seemed that Kylie Minor, the final shooter of the division, would catch her. After starting 21/22 and needing just three more successful shots to force Logyn into a shoot-off, Kylie’s 23rd shot sailed deep and off the back of the rim, securing Logyn’s gold medal.
“It felt really good to win because I was here last year and ended up losing,” says Logyn, who finished in fourth place in the Girls 10-11 division at the 2025 National Finals. “I knew I had to practice even more than last year to come back and become a National Champion.”
Logyn didn’t only become a Frank Hise National Champion, though—she also earned the Getty Powell Award, given to the top girl and boy scorers in the entire competition. On the boys’ side, the race for the Getty Powell was anything but certain.
Duncan and Tre, the two perfect scorers, had to settle their tie in the final shoot-off of the day. Duncan went first, immediately putting pressure on Tre by making all five shots. Tre didn’t flinch, and made his five shots to send the shoot-off into another round. With all eyes on them, Duncan and Tre stunned attendees as they continued going shot for shot, make for make. It wasn’t until Tre missed his 27th shot of the shoot-off that Duncan was able to claim his Getty Powell Award. In total, Duncan went an incredible 55/55 from the free throw line.
All six Frank Hise National Champions—Marina, Kion, Ainsley, Tre, Logyn, and Duncan—earned more than just bragging rights. They will have their names displayed in the Elks Hoop Shoot digital exhibit at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, among the greatest basketball players of all time. The Elks National Foundation will send all six to Springfield, Massachusetts, to see their names in those hallowed halls.
After a long, stressful day of competition, the National Finalists were honored with an Awards Banquet fit for champions. While the winners were celebrating, those who didn’t walk away with hardware likely felt some sense of sadness—but they weren’t alone. Keynote speaker and Olympic gold medalist, Erin Jackson, knew exactly how it felt to come up short and pick herself back up.
“The falling. The repetition. The days I was tired, sore, or didn’t feel like it,” said Jackson. “The only reason I got better is because I kept showing up. That is where my gold medal came from. And for you, your ‘gold’ didn’t happen today in 25 free throws. It happened in the thousands you shot back at home.”
Though the path to Jackson’s gold medal wasn’t always clear, she continued to work hard and achieved her dreams. In the 2022 Olympic Games, Jackson won the gold medal in the women’s 500m speed skating race, becoming the first Black woman to win a Winter Olympic gold in an individual sport.
When she returned to the Olympics in Milan-Cortina to defend her title in 2026, things didn’t go how she planned.
“Just recently, I went back to the Olympics,” said Jackson. “I wanted that gold again. I worked just as hard—maybe harder than before, and I finished in fifth. Maybe you didn’t place how you wanted. Maybe you missed a shot you know you can make. Maybe today just didn’t go how you pictured it. I want to tell you that is okay.”
Though it may have been easy for the Finalists to get caught up with their final scores, at the end of the day, the Elks Hoop Shoot is about so much more than free throws.
“Sometimes you’re the gold medalist, and sometimes you’re not. I’ve been both, and both matter,” said Jackson. “Because what defines you isn’t whether you made every shot—it’s whether you’re willing to take the next one. Whether today went exactly how you wanted, or not at all how you wanted, I hope you leave here proud. And when you get home, I hope you keep shooting free throws, because your story is not over yet.”
In her speech, Jackson referred to a 2025 Hoop Shoot National Finalist named Jack Burke, who was sponsored by Severna Park, M.D., Lodge No. 2482. At the 2025 Finals, Jack placed last in the Boys 8-9 division with a score of 17/25. His parents said that the first thing he did when he got home from the 2025 National Finals was run to the basketball hoop in their driveway and start practicing for next year.
Jack made it back to the National Finals in 2026, and he still didn’t place how he’d hoped. He made 14/25.
After the Awards Banquet, an ENF staff member managed to catch up with Jack, and he was all smiles when he confirmed that he was the competitor Erin Jackson had mentioned in her speech.
When asked if he had plans to try and make it back to the Finals for a third time, Jack said: “Oh yeah. I’m going to practice even harder.”
That is what the Elks Hoop Shoot does: it unleashes gritty kids who retie their sneakers and pick up a basketball the second they can, even when the baskets aren’t falling their way. Because the grit and determination matter—just as much as the gold.
The Elks have been unleashing gritty kids through the Elks Hoop Shoot program for more than 50 years. For 2026-27, the Elks National Foundation allocated $1.6 million to fund the program. For videos, news from the court, and more information about the Elks Hoop Shoot, visit elks.org/hoopshoot.