WESTFIELD – High school students across the Greater Westfield area are invited to participate in a new event titled “Hoopfest” on Friday at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Westfield.
Jose Roman, program director and teen outreach coordinator, said he was recently brainstorming ideas with club members and he shared an experience he had when he was in high school.
“I attended 9th and 10th grade in Woodbridge, Virginia, and a popular event was called Hoop Hall,” he said. “Woodbridge is a big city so there were several high schools. Hoop Hall brought the top players out from each school to compete halfway through the basketball season.”
Since “Hoopfest” is a first for Roman here, he is hoping the event will catch on and become an annual event.
“I always thought it was a cool idea to me and my kids here liked it and started putting out flyers on social media,” he said.
Roman said Hoopfest, beginning at 6:30 p.m., will feature three competitions: a 3-point contest for high school girls, a 3-point contest for boys, and a dunk contest open to anyone in high school.
“The competition set up will be similar to how the NBA All-Star weekend events are conducted,” said Roman. “Players can expect to do five shots at each station and there is no time limit.”
Roman said he has staff members and club members who will assist during all events and he will have a judge oversee the dunk contest.
For participants in the dunk contest, Roman noted that the judge will be scoring each player on his/her score, their originality scoring, and how well their dunk was executed.
Winners in each category will receive a trophy along with a $30 gift card from Foot Locker, club T-shirts, and bragging rights, according to Roman.
Teens who would like to sign up to compete at the West Silver Street facility can contact Roman at (413) 562-2301.
Chairs will be provided against the walls of the basketball court so that spectators can watch the competition.
“This is a trial year for Hoopfest,” said Roman. “If it turns out to be popular, we will conduct Hoopfest again next year.”
