Free Throw Rules & Regulations

  1. Timeline
    • Council Championship — January
    • district Championship — February
    • regional Championship (optional) — February
    • Jurisdictional Championship — march
      • exact dates for your area can be obtained from the jurisdiction program director. Jurisdiction officials should notify each council well in advance the dates, times and locations of the regional and jurisdictional championships.
      • The district deputy is responsible for notifying councils of the date, time and location of the district competition. The grand knight or Free Throw Championship chairman should notify the council winners of the date, time and location of the next level of competition.
  2. Eligibility
    1. The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship is open to all boys and girls in your community, ages 9 to 14.
    2. age eligibility is determined by the age of the contestant as of January 1. proof of age is required. high school-age athletes should be advised to check with their school athletic directors or their jurisdiction high school athletic associations regarding possible eligibility conflicts.
    3. entries all competitors must register using the official Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship Entry Form/Score Sheet (#1598). proof of age must accompany all entry forms.
      preregistration is recommended, but not required. The entry form/score sheet and proof of age must accompany participants through all levels of competition. your council number must be clearly written on the form. each participant may compete in only one council competition.
      winners will progress to the district, regional and jurisdictional levels of competition. International champions are chosen on the basis of jurisdiction-level results.
  3. Court / Equipment
    1. each level of competition should be held on any local basketball court or suitable facility approved by and under the supervision of a participating Knights of Columbus council.
  4. Age Specifications
    • (note: The suggested ball sizes for each age group are based on national recommendations for youth basketball teams.)
    1. ages 9, 10, 11 (Boys & girls competitions)
      • Use a women’s regulation-size basketball and shoot from a 12-foot foul line at a 10-foot-high basket. (note: The normal foul line is 15 feet from the basket.)
      • Foul lines at 12 feet from the basket for 10- and 11-year-old divisions should be clearly marked with athletic or masking tape prior to the competition.)
    2. ages 12, 13, 14 (girls competitions)
      • Use a women’s regulation-size basketball and shoot from the regulation foul line 15 feet from a 10-foot-high basket.
    3. ages 12, 13, 14 (Boys competitions)
      • use a men’s regulation-size basketball and shoot from the regulation foul line 15 feet from a 10-foot-high basket.
  2. Judges / Scorers / Rebounders
    1. Judges, scorers and rebounders will be selected by the Free Throw Championship chairman at the council level, by the district deputy at the district level, and by the jurisdiction deputy at the regional and jurisdictional levels. The recommended minimum is one judge, two scorers and a rebounder at each basket. it is recommended that volunteer parents be utilized in age groups other than the group(s) in which their child (children) competes. The judge will ensure that each
      participant receives the proper warm-up tosses and will point out any foul-shooting violations (see scoring section). all questions will be resolved by the judges and Free Throw Championship chairman. scorers should refer to the scoring instructions included on the entry form/score sheet. The rebounder will catch the ball and  give to the next contestant.
  3. Safe environment
    1.  follow the Archdiocese of St. Louis Prevent and Protect St. Louis Program. All volunteers, age 18 and older (school, PSR, Life Teen, coaches), are required to complete the Prevent and Protect St. Louis Program requirements, which include a background check, signed code of ethics, and attendance at a Protecting God’s Children workshop. Please contact Andrea Brockmann at 314-576-5366 ext. 27 or [email protected] with any questions about the program.
  4. scoring
    1. normal rules of basketball regarding free throws apply for all levels of competition. Free throw violations include stepping on or over the line prior to the ball reaching the rim, or shots rebounding off the “out of bounds” basket support and equipment.
    2. Scorers should record baskets made and missed on each attempt according to the
      instructions on the entry form/score sheet. it is recommended that multiple scorers be assigned to each basket for scoring accuracy and comparison. all scores should be verified before the next contestant is allowed to shoot. The use of videotape recording of the competition is not recommended to resolve questions on scoring totals.
    3. The judges and scorers and actual entry form/score sheets should determine final scores.
  5. Competition levels
    1. Council level
      1. each contestant receives three warm-up tosses followed by 15 consecutive free throw attempts from the appropriate age-designated foul line (see the Court/equipment/age
        sections for proper ball sizes and foul line distances).
      2. to break a tie, contestants take a second round of five free throws. no warm-up tosses are permitted for the tiebreaker rounds. successive rounds of five free throws each continue until a winner emerges.
    2. District, regional, Jurisdictional levels
      1. each contestant receives three warm-up tosses followed by 25 consecutive free throw attempts from the foul line. to break a tie, contestants take a second round of five free throws. no warm-up tosses are permitted for the tiebreaker rounds. successive rounds of five free throws each continue until a winner emerges.
    3. international level
      1. international champions are determined on the basis of best scores submitted from the jurisdiction level competitions in each age category. note: a free throw championship
        should not be held on a school day unless all participants are able to attend.
  6. Authority
    1. The Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship program will be under the authority of the state deputy and jurisdiction community director. any questions about this program not answered in this guide should be directed to the appropriate jurisdiction officials or to the:
      • supreme Council department of Fraternal mission
        1 Columbus plaza, new haven, Ct 06510-3326
        telephone: (203) 752-4270
        Fax: (203) 752-4108
        email: [email protected]