The Knights of Columbus Council 6810 will host its annual Free Throw Championship on Sunday, Jan. 29, at St. Philip the Apostle Church, 2111 Millersville Pike, Lancaster. Boys and girls ages 9 to 14 are invited to participate and demonstrate their free throwing skills.

The Free Throw Championship is one of many community activities coordinated by Council 6810, which regularly meets at Saint Leo the Great Catholic Church on Marietta Avenue. The council also hosts various fundraisers such as bingo and donates the money raised from the events to nonprofit organizations such as A Woman's Concern, a group that provides pregnancy and parenting resources for expecting mothers. In addition to supporting charities, the Knights of Columbus group also supports seminarians' educations. Free Throw Championships are organized by councils across the country to provide communities with youth enrichment activities.

"The kids love to participate," said George Elko, director of the Free Throw Championship and member of Council 6810. "Even the kids that don't score high enough to win get excited and have fun."

The Knights of Columbus will require participants to complete a registration form at the door, which will include written parental consent and identification to verify the contestant's age. Documents such as a copy of a birth certificate and a passport will be accepted, and although these items are not required to participate, contestants will not be able to claim any prizes unless they provide identification.

After completing registration, each contestant will shoot five balls in a row in three rounds to determine the winners. In the event of a tie, the contestants with tied scores will shoot an additional five balls in a tie-breaker round. Six winners will be selected from each age and gender category based on how high they score during the competition.

All participants will receive a certificate of participation, but winning players will receive a winner's certificate as well as a plaque or trophy. Winning contestants will also progress to the district-level competition, where they will have an opportunity to qualify for the regional and state free throw championships. The international free throw champions will be named by the Knights of Columbus Supreme Council based on the contestants' scores from the state championship after all games have been completed in the spring.

For more information, contact Elko by calling 717-203-6210 or emailing gmelko@comcast.net.