The Hoop Shoot has been developing gritty kids for 50 years. The Elks Hoop Shoot is a free throw program for youth ages 8-13.

Through the Hoop Shoot program, the Elks been developing and reinforcing grit for nearly 50 years—long before researchers and experts concluded that grit is so important for our children. Just listen to the parents and contestants in these videos. They’re talking about grit.

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SOCCER — The world’s favorite sport now is the United States’ fastest growing children’s participatory activity. As early as the 1980s, Lodges of the B.P.O. Elks began to recognize this phenomenon and support it with league sponsorships as well as developing different skill contests. The Grand Lodge Activities Committee discussed the sport of soccer on many occasions as two of these contests grew to prominent status.

Soccer Shoot is a two-stage contest that best represents the skill levels of four or five age groups: 7 and under (U-8), 8-9(U10), 10-11(U-12), and 12-13(U-14). The 14-15(U-16) is an optional age group. The “Five Goal Contest” with its succession of smaller target goals lets the youngest participants (U-8) build their confidence as they move down the line. It matches both physical and skill abilities to the challenge they present. The “Grid Goal Contest” uses the specific kick distance, based on age, to challenge the older participants (U-10, U-12, U-14 & U-16) to kick the ball from a specific mark for score, thus developing advanced skills. The contests are designed to be run either indoors or outdoors depending on location, weather, or climate.