Meredith Limbrunner, of Newport, may only be 11 years old, but she’s already made a name for herself on the basketball court.
Meredith’s accomplishments have not come as part of a team — at least not yet. Her forte is shooting free throws, and her expertise has earned her a trip to Chicago this month to take part in the Elks Hoop Shoot national competition.
To get to this level, Meredith had to first win her division (10-11 girls) at the local, district, state and regional contests. That regional competition, held in Pasco, Washington, brought together champion free throw shooters from Alaska, Oregon, Washington and Idaho. The United States is carved into 12 such regions, so Meredith will be one of 12 girls in her division competing for the national championship April 20 in Chicago. She will be the first Lincoln County youth ever to compete in the Elks Hoop Shoot at this level.
Meredith has worked hard to reach this point, and she has seen considerable success in the past. In fact, she has won the state contest the last three years in a row. Last year, she lost at regionals by one basket. This year, she won at regionals by one basket.
Those competing in the Elks Hoop Shoot will attempt a total of 25 free throws. Everyone in each age category initially tosses 10 shots, and then they rotate back through and shoot 15 more. The winner is the one with the most successful shots.
The Lincoln County Leader met with Meredith and her parents, Marcus and Jennifer Limbrunner, to talk about the upcoming national competition. When asked if she was nervous about it, Meredith said she used to get nervous when she first started taking part in these competitions, but she doesn’t anymore. Her strategy? “You don’t think about anything else, you just shoot,” she said.
Meredith knows that each time she moves from one level to the next, she will face tougher competition. “The higher you go, you know that they won for the whole state and the region, so they’re going to be good, so you know that you’ve got competition.”
As far as her training, Meredith says she spends a lot of time shooting free throws at the Newport Recreation Center, but that isn’t the only activity she does while there. “If you shoot too many in a row, you start to get off a little bit,” she said, so she either plays basketball with others at the rec center or enjoys a game or two of pickleball.
Meredith said she was originally inspired to try her hand in the Hoop Shoot after watching her older brother, Alex, take part in one. Her dad, Marcus, said that is not unusual. “The Elks have done a great job, and it’s a great program,” he said. “I think what’s interesting is once families get involved in it, other kids in the same family tend to really aspire more to succeed within the program. So you see families that have multiple kids that are really into it. I guess we kind of qualify as that.”
The Elks are paying the travel and lodging expenses for Meredith and her parents when they go to Chicago. Alex and Meredith’s younger brother, Dax, will also be going, so the family will be taking a couple extra days while they are there to enjoy some of the local sites.
The history of the Elks Hoop Shoot dates back many years, and it was actually started by an Elks member in Corvallis. It went national more than 50 years ago. A local Hoop Shoot had been a regular event in Newport until it eventually died out. Around eight years ago, it was brought back by Pat Cowan, a member of Newport Elks Lodge 2105.
“The first year we had three shooters, (and) two of them were in the same age group,” Cowan said about bringing the local event back to life. “Each year the numbers improved a little bit. This past year we had three shooters in every category, one with four, which meant every kid but one got a trophy. It’s the first year I’ve ever given out all the first, second and third trophies, ever.”
Cowan is quick to point out that the event doesn’t happen just because of his efforts.
“It’s a cooperative venture. The (Newport) Booster Club has people who come and help with the event,” he said. “Also, both varsity (basketball) coaches at the high school are involved. They bring some of their kids — they do the rebounding as the kids shoot, and the coaches call the free throw line.”
Regarding his role in organizing the annual Hoop Shoot, Cowan said, “I don’t do anything except arrange the facility and the structure. And then the kids do their thing and Newport Elks Lodge 2105 is the sponsor of the event and they supply people also for the various roles that are involved, and then with the Booster Club and the teams — it’s become a pretty-well oiled machine at this point.”
As far as Meredith’s accomplishments, Cowan said, “It’s been an honor to work with her over the years. She’s got a focus that’s incredible, and when you meet her, she’s this small, shy looking young lady, and then when she shoots, she turns into a killer.”
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