HOULTON, Maine – The Houlton and Presque Isle Elks Lodges held their annual Soccer Shoots Saturday and Sunday respectively.
Thirty-six youths participated in the Presque Isle competition, compared to just 10 at the Houlton event.
The soccer shoots are just one of the many youth centered activities sponsored by the local Lodges of Elks. Girls and boys from ages 6 to 13 were invited to take part in age-appropriate basic shooting skills competitions with the hopes of advancing to district, state and regional competitions.
The Elks Soccer Shoot program is a national soccer shooting skills competition where young people under the age 15 can compete in a safe and friendly environment to test their skills against their own age.
The contests are held at the local Elk Lodge level, and the winners advance to the District, State, and Regional levels. Winners at the Regional level will have their scores forwarded to the National Soccer Shoot Coordinator, and the highest scores will be declared as National Soccer Shoot Champions.
On Saturday, Sept. 24, the Houlton Lodge of Elks hosted its annual soccer shoot under the direction of Matthew Powers at the Houlton Middle-High School soccer fields. Blustery weather conditions resulted in a much smaller turnout than usual with just 10 youngsters taking part in this year’s event.
In the girls under 8 age group, Isabel Onder was the winner; Maryn Dyer won the under 10 division with Emmalyn Thibodeau runner up.
For the boys, Conlon Savage won the under 8 division, with Charlie Savage runner up; Drake Lynds won the under 10 division with Beckham Bates runner up and Raiden Cochran won the under 14 division.
HOULTON, Maine — September 27, 2022 — The Houlton Elks Lodge hosted its annual Soccer Shoot Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Houlton High School soccer field. Taking part are, from left, Shoot Chairman, Matthew Powers, Raiden Cochran, Emmalyn Thibodeau, Maryn Dyer, Beckham Bates, Bentley Bates, Sawyer Knowles, Drake Lynds, Exalted Ruler Elizabeth Grant, Isabel Onder, Charlie Savage and Conlon Savage. (Photo courtesy of Elizabeth Grant)
At Presque Isle Sunday, Sept. 25 at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, eight age-group champions won trophies and earned the opportunity to advance to the Maine Elks Northern District Shoot in Bangor Oct. 9.
First-place winners were: under 8 year-old girls: Aubrey Plant of Presque Isle; under 8-year-old boys: Wilson Clark of Mapleton; 8-9 girls: Jenna Strid of Woodland; 8-9 boys: Madden Hebert of Presque Isle; 10-11 girls: Sadie Trams of Ashland; 10-11 boys: Patrick Collins of Presque Isle; 12-13 girls: Lucy Cheney of Castle Hill; and 12-13 boys: Mason Pelletier of Easton.
Runners-up in the divisions, who won trophies and soccer balls, were: under 8 year-old girls: Annie Humphrey of Presque Isle; under 8-year-old boys: Jack Robertson of Presque Isle; 8-9 girls: Hailey Plant of Presque Isle; 8-9 boys: Wilder Young of Mapleton; 10-11 girls: Layla King of Mars Hill; 10-11 boys: William Browning of Fort Fairfield; and 12-13 boys: Jamie MacKay of Easton.
The Elks Soccer Shoot program consists of two different contests that test different level skills at different ages. A “Five Goal Contest” consists of a series of five goals, decreasing in size from 48 inches to 17 inches. The age group that uses the goals in this contest are U-8 for ages 7 years old and younger. The contest is open to boys and girls who shoot separately. The U-8 contestants kick from 15 feet from the face of the goal.
The Grid Goal Contest consists of a full-size goal sectioned off so points can be scored when the ball is kicked into certain sections. The age groups that use this goal are U-10, for ages eight and nine, U-12, for ages ten and eleven, and U-14, for ages twelve and thirteen. The contest is open to both boys and girls and they shoot separately.
More points are awarded to kicks through the segments of the goal which are tougher to defend, namely the upper corners of the goal, the top of the goal, and the extreme sides of the goal. All contestants used a number 4 size soccer balls, except for the oldest age group, who will use a number 5 size soccer ball.
Following the competitions participants and families were treated to a complimentary lunch of hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chips, and hot apple cider prepared by lodge members.
Winners advance to the next round, which will take place at John Bapst Practice Field on Mt. Hope Ave. in Bangor on Sunday, Oct. 9, beginning at 10 a.m. Those winning at the district level will move on to compete in the state championships to be held in Bangor later in the month.
