Thirty boys and girls from Olds, Carstairs, Didsbury, Sundre and Red Deer, ages 9 to 14, were named regional champions of the 2018 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship after having placed in the Council and District Championships, held in Olds.
They will have their scores sent on to determine the overall provincial and international champions.
Nine-year-old champions were Lugereke Shamvu (with three first-place finishes) in the girls’ bracket and Boaz Shortt (also with three first-place finishes) in the boys’.
Zoey McCormick (another three-peat top finisher) was the 10-year-old girls’ champion and Spencer Clifford was the winner of the 10-year-old boys’ division.
In the 11-year-olds’ bracket, Rosa Overwater was the girls’ champion and Grayson MacDonald was the boys’ champion.
Twelve-year-old winners in the girls’ and boys’ divisions were Damon Earle (a three-time winner) and Leah Rowe.
The 13-year-old girls’ division was won by Naomi Rieberger and the boys’ by Jaxon Zanolli (a three-peat winner as well).
The 14-year-old champion in the boys’ bracket was Jezreel Clidar from St. Patrick's Community School in Red Deer with three top place finishes.
Despite the heavy snowfall, the field was a large one. More than 50 children participated in the event, held March 3 at Holy Trinity Catholic School.
The Father Forsythe Knights of Columbus Council #4748 in Olds sponsored the competition
All youngsters ages 9 to 14 were eligible to participate including those who are home-schooled. Participants came from Olds Koinonia Christian School, Ecole Olds Elementary School, Ecole Deer Meadow School, Holy Trinity, Reed Ranch School, and St. Patrick’s from Red Deer.
Each contestant was allowed 15 free throw attempts in the first contest with 25 free throw attempts in each later round. Ties were settled by successive rounds of five free throws per contestant until a winner emerged.
Organizers are grateful for the support from local businesses in Olds.
