More than three-dozen youth had a chance to test their foul-shooting skills at a free-throw contest organized by the Knights of Columbus in Yarmouth.
Held at Meadowfields Community School, the Jan. 22 event was open to participants from nine to 14 years of age – boys and girls – and 38 of them turned out.
Several baskets in the Meadowfields gym were put to use for the Tuesday evening event, with parents and other visitors on hand watching the action.
It had been a while since the Knights had held the free-throw competition, said Cal Kent, district deputy with the Knights of Columbus and one of those on hand helping out with the event.
It was “a couple of years anyway,” since the last one, he said. “We work it out with the basketball people (at the school) ... the coaches, the basketball coaches ... whether they have time to get it ready. They help us a lot.”
The top finishers in the various categories will have a chance to put their free-throw skills to the test at a higher level of competition.
“They go on to what they call the regionals, which is usually up in Truro ... in the Bible Hill area,” Kent said. “It’s usually in March or April. We haven’t got the date yet.”
The following are the winners from the Yarmouth event:
Nine-year-old girls: Rowan Moises-Weatherby.
Ten-year-old girls: Audrey Veinot.
Ten-year-old boys: Marquis Phillips.
Eleven-year-old girls: Gabrielle Hiltz.
Eleven-year-old boys: Phillip Graham.
Twelve-year-old girls: Zara Hemani.
Thirteen-year-old girls: Janaya Hiltz.
Thirteen-year-old boys: Kane Pictou.
Fourteen-year-old girls: Elllie Hiltz.
Kent said participants in the Yarmouth event seemed to enjoy themselves, particularly since, for this year’s contest, they all got a medal.
“It made the kids feel good that they all got something,” he said. “I saw a lot of them wearing (the medals) around their neck, looking at them, admiring them.”
Kent was one of about seven members of the Knights who were at Meadowfields lending a hand with the free-throw event, which lasted close to two hours.
A pretty good free-throw shooter himself back in his basketball-playing days, Kent encourages young people who want to be good foul shooters to work at it.
“It’s something that requires a lot of practice and dedication,” he said.
