Hours of practice and a healthy dose of sibling rivalry resulted in the Givner boys and the Cranston twins taking four of the 12 winning slots in the 2023 Knights of Columbus Free Throw Tournament diocesan finals, held March 11 in the Upper Township Recreational Center, Tuckahoe.
The field of competitors ages 9 to 14, each hailing from Camden, Gloucester, Salem, Atlantic, Cumberland or Cape May Counties, had been successful on the council level and earned their right to compete in the diocesan final. Each hopeful was given 25 attempts to sink a basketball and hear a satisfying “swish” as they added their names to the winners’ roster, took home trophies and earned bragging rights.
Salvatore D’Orazio, a member of Our Lady of Hope Parish, Blackwood, and Gabriella Crowther, a parishioner in Saint Rose of Lima, Haddon Heights, bested their fellow competitors to take home victories in the 9-year-old boys and girls categories respectively. Ten-year-old Max Givner, a member of Notre Dame de la Mer Parish, Wildwood, carried home a trophy for the boys, while Jessica Peller, who calls Holy Trinity Parish, Margate, her spiritual home, was the girls division winner for that age group.
Among the 11-year-old competitors, Vince Farina of Saint Joseph Parish, Sea Isle City, and Sydney Teschner of Saint Charles Borromeo Parish, Sicklerville, were boys and girls division winners. Twelve-year-old boys winner Carter Givner was no stranger to the winner’s circle: He had topped his fellow competitors in the 11-year-old boys category last year. Emery Nahla Rodriquez of Mary, Queen of All Saints Parish, Pennsauken, sank enough free throws to go home with the 12-year-old girls trophy.
In the 13-year-old boys and girls categories, Joseph Brown of All Saints Parish, Millville, and Madeline Maley, a member of Mary, Queen of All Saints Parish, were victors. A set of twins took home both the boys and girls trophies in the 14-year-old division: Holden and Abigail Cranston, members of Mary, Queen of All Saints Parish.
All boy and girl competitors exhibited their own unique style as they attempted their foul shots, whether it be a special basketball bounce pattern or wearing a lucky outfit. Knights from local councils tallied the scores and fielded rebounds as they encouraged the competitors, telling them to “take your time” or “finish it off,” while parents and friends clapped enthusiastically and recorded the children with cell phones for posterity.
Now in its 51st year, the Knights’ Free Throw Tournament is one of its most successful youth activities. The Catholic fraternal organization’s website explained, “Councils sponsor the tournament to provide an athletic outlet and encourage the values of sportsmanship and healthy competition.” Knights of Columbus State Free Throw chairman, John A. Gazis, noted the tournament held value for each competitor, regardless of win or loss.
“The kids encourage, cheer or console each other,” Gazis said. “That is true sportsmanship.”
With their win on March 11, the 12 boy and girl victors qualified for entrance into the state finals slated for March 25 in Saint Thomas Parish, Old Bridge. Each Diocese of Camden winner will compete against four others in their age/gender category, one representing each of New Jersey’s five Catholic (arch)dioceses.
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