A girl from Jefferson is moving onto the national semi-finals in the Elks Hoop Shoot Contest.

According to Joyce Fister with the Jefferson Elks Lodge #2306, Samantha Pedersen won first place in the 10-11-year-old girls division at the state competition this past Saturday in Ottumwa. The Elks Hoop Shoot is where youth in six age and gender divisions are allowed to shoot 25 free throw attempts and whoever makes the most moves onto the next level of competition.

Keith Pedersen is the father of Sam, and tells Raccoon Valley Radio that he was nervous for her and could barely watch towards the end. He says Sam started out well and then missed two in a row. He was hoping that would not get in her head and throw her off, but then she rattled off 13 of her last 15 free throws to win, making 20 of 25 shots. Both Keith and his wife Mary are proud of Sam and they tell their two daughters constantly that in order to be successful, they have to put in the time and practice. Keith thinks that for a ten year old to stay poised and focused in an environment where no sounds are allowed in the gym, shake off a missed free throw and move on, was quite impressive. 

Fister says Keegan Minnihan was second place at the state contest in the 10-11-year-old boys division, while Sam’s sister Delaney also qualified for the state contest for the 12-13-year-old girls division, but forfeited due to a volleyball tournament on the same day.

According to the national Elks Hoop Shoot Contest officials, Sam will now compete in the North Central Region 3 against the other 10-11 year old girls winners from three other states, including Minnesota, Illinois and Wisconsin. The North Central Region 3 contest will take place on March 15th in Iowa City, Iowa. The winners from that contest will head to the national finals in Chicago, Illinois.