In December of the school year, amidst holiday choral concerts and shopping, all of the Elks Club all over the nation hold a Hoop Shoot contest. Kids compete in their age and gender bracket to see who can swish the most baskets. Winners advance to next states, and the final tournament is held in Chicago, where the competing children and their families are put up in a hotel for the final round. Winners names go into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield Mass.

Required to enter was a birth certificate for proof of age, which hinders a number of kids from entering who do not have easy access to their birth certificates, or if their birth certificates are not current with their names or genders. The Beacon Elk’s Lodge was questioned about the routine practice by a parent (me). After giving it a second thought, the Beacon Elk’s Lodge Hoops Director Nicole Moreno agreed that the policy was restrictive, and took it all the way to the State and National Directors of the Elks Lodge to advocate for the requirement’s removal. The top directors agreed, and the birth certificate is no longer required.

About The Hoop Shoot Contest

In Beacon and in other communities where there is an Elks Club Lodge membership hosting the contest, parents receive a simple flyer with the date and location of the tryout: a Friday evening at Rombout Middle School. Participating kids must bring their birth certificates in order to prove their age. Being that the kids are receiving these flyers in school the need for proof of age seems redundant, and overly cautious.

The Restrictive Problem With The Birth Certificate Requirement

This seemingly simple requirement is a barrier to several different types of children, including those who are:

• Unable to locate their birth certificate. Sometimes they get lost.

• Living with a parent or caregiver in more than one household where communication between parents is strained, and only one parent has the original birth certificate to make the copy. Getting a document like this for an activity that both parents agree on can become a problem.

• Difficult for those with different immigration statuses who may not have a birth certificate.

• Limiting for those in foster care who also may not have easy access to a birth certificate.

• Uncomfortable for kids recognizing gender identification, and are going through Beacon schools with a different gender and name than what they were identified with at birth. Revealing a birth certificate may “out” them in a way they don’t intend.

When asked why the birth certificate was needed if the kids are being recruited from Rombout Middle School, Principal Brian Soltish referred questions to Carl Oken, an organizer with the Elks Club. Carl explained that the birth certificate was needed for proof of age should the child advance to next rounds, as the school does not share records with the club. Carl stated that “birth certificates can have all data redacted other than name, birth date and sex.”

When questioning of the practice persisted, Carl referred the questions onto the contest director, Nicole Moreno. While at first she was comfortable with the practice, she gave it a think over a weekend, and changed her mind: “Our conversations had my wheels turning. I have addressed this issue with both the State and National Directors and effective immediately, birth certificates are no longer a requirement.”

A Beaconite who is a parent in the district and is a bilingual lead advocate for domestic violence victims, Ella Mar, was supportive of the decision. “That type of requirement excludes undocumented students, and potentially exposes their undocumented status. It also excludes queer children and teenagers who have been kicked out of their home and doesn't have access to their birth certificate,” they reflected.

“A proof of birth certificate requirement especially targets trans kids, who would have to expose their dead name and assigned gender at birth, which could potentially out any child whose current sex, gender or name isn't reflected on their birth record. This type of requirement could also exclude children in the foster care system, or any youth where it is not safe for them to produce their birth record. Or they just don't have it."

Months after the decision was made, Nicole remains supportive of the decision to make community-based events produced by the Elks more inclusive, stating: “For a long time, the Elks Club was not so inclusive. You had to be a white Christian male to be a member. There are still Lodges to this day that are still segregated by sex and color. Even a neighboring community still doesn't allow female members. Beacon, however, was one of the first to allow female members, and the first to elect a Woman Exalted Ruler. We just elected the 3rd this year 2022. We love our vets. We love our kids and we love our community.”

This month finishes Nicole’s four years as chair of the Hoop Shoot committee, to be followed by Joe Green. Barbra Farber was Exalted Ruler twice, and Jennifer Velez is the newly elected Exalted Ruler, to begin serving the term in April 2022.

The Beacon Elks Lodge is located at 900 Wolcott Avenue. Keep up the the many events and opportunities they offer, including rental of their space.