THUNDER BAY – Owen Kitchkeesick is an active young athlete.
The Grade 6 student at St. Bernard Elementary School student plays hockey, football and lacrosse, but basketball doesn’t quite fall into his busy schedule.
However, when he learned about the annual Knights of Columbus free throw competition, he wanted to try it.
“I thought it was pretty interesting and I ended up making it here,” Kitchkeesick said.
“There’s nerves of course with everyone watching you, but you just have to put the practice in.”
Kitchkeesick made 12 out of 25 free throw attempts on Thursday afternoon at St. Ignatius High School to finish in a tie for fourth place.
“This was my first time doing this and I thought I did alright,” Kitchkeesick said. “I could have done a little better as I missed a few shots, but it was fun.”
A total of 93 students between Grades 4-8 from 17 Thunder Bay catholic schools took part in the competition, which was first held in 1972.
Knights of Columbus district deputy Bruce Sutton said that it’s great to see the number of returning students and new faces that showcase their shooting skills each year.
“It’s a way to encourage athleticism and healthy competition, but it also gets the kids out and having some fun,” Sutton said.
This year’s winners were Hutton Klug of St. Paul (Grade 4 boys), Cora Chivers-Wilson of St. Bernard (Grade 4 girls), Vincent Pedri of St. Thomas Aquinas (Grade 5 boys), Aubrey Wiwcharyk of St. Paul (Grade 5 girls), Luca Marino of Holy Cross (Grade 6 boys), Kate McIlwain of Holy Family (Grade 6 girls), Tony Marino of Bishop EQ Jennings (Grade 7 boys), Brynn Chivers-Wilson of Bishop Gallagher (Grade 7 girls), Ethan Coulombe of Bishop EQ Jennings (Grade 8 boys) and Gabriella Amato of Bishop EQ Jennings (Grade 8 girls).
