◆ Local 11-year-old qualifies for nationals.

Derringer Holding, an 11-year-old student at Etna Elementary School, took first place in The Regional Elks National Hoop Shoot, held March 14 in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

This qualified him to compete in the National Hoop Shoot that was to be held in Chicago but has now been canceled due to COVID-19 containment measures.

Derringer won the local competition in Jackson in December and then moved on to win the Wyoming District competition held in Riverton in January.

The Wyoming State competition was held in February in Casper, where he qualified for the Western Regional Competition.

“I have played basketball since I was in kindergarten,” said the young athlete, through email correspondence with SVI. “I started focusing on my free throws about 2 years ago. My principal allowed me to practice in the gym during recess and I would practice after school too.”

For each competition, all contestants had the opportunity to shoot 25 free throws, and the athlete with the most completed baskets placed first.

“I feel great about the competition because I won,” Derringer said. “For the regional competition I was up against three other competitors. They were from Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado.”

Derringer thrives on the pressure that he feels in competition.

“I like the ‘nail biting’ my parents do while I shoot,” he said. “I also liked meeting all the kids from different states. My least favorite part was the long drive to Colorado. The outbreak of Covid-19 canceled the national competition in Chicago next month, but there’s always next year.”

Derringer’s mother, Jennifer, was impressed with the National Elks Foundation’s efforts to safely host the young athletes in the Colorado competition. She feels that The Foundation took measures that were beyond all recommended sanitary standards.

Upon the family’s return from Colorado, they have chosen to self-quarantine as Colorado has a growing number of COVID-19 cases.

“I would like to thank The National Elks Foundation for holding this competition and for their sponsorship,” said Derringer. “I would also like to thank my Mom and Dad for always supporting me and taking me to all my competitions. I think everyone should play a sport and try new things.”

“This whole competition has been a wonderful experience,” said Jennifer. “Derringer truly enjoys competing and we enjoy making these memories with him.”