THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, March 2, 1995 TAG: 9503010222
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 08 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY SHIRLEY BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: SUFFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 73 lines
WITH A CAREFUL eye, Dominique Britt aims and fires - and another basketball swishes through the hoop.
Thanks to a lot of practice and a little help from his father and brother, 9-year-old Dominique has learned to shoot from the hip.
In January, Dominique scored in free-throw shooting at Booker T. Washington Elementary School in the 8- to 9-year-old category.
Then, Dominique and 39 other boys and girls who had excelled in competition at their schools and in their particular age bracket, competed in the local ``Hoop Shoot.'' This event, held at Kilby Shores Elementary School, is sponsored annually by the Suffolk Elks Lodge.
On Feb. 4, the winners in the local contest traveled to Lake Taylor Middle School in Norfolk. There, they competed in the District competition, sponsored by the Southeastern District of the Elks.
Of 25 free-throw attempts by Dominique, 19 balls dropped through the net. And it was enough to declare him the winner of a trip to Falls Church to compete in state competition.
Dominique was the only one in the Suffolk group to win the District competition and was presented a $50 check to help with trip expenses to Falls Church, said John West, member of the Suffolk Elks Lodge and chairman of the local Hoop Shoot.
Dominique's father and mother, Mr. and Mrs. William E. Britt, and 2-year-old sister, Chiniqua, accompanied him on the trip.
On Feb. 19, Dominique placed fourth in state competition at the Falls Church Community Center. And a happy Dominique said he had fun all day.
If he had won first place, Dominique would have had an opportunity to compete in the regionals in West Virginia, and then, national competition in Indianapolis.
``I've been chairman of the Hoop Shoot for seven years, and Dominique is the only one to win in District competition,'' West said. ``If he had won the national competition, he would have gotten his name in the Basketball Hall of Fame.''
A love for sports runs in the Britt family. Dominique's older brother, Lamont, played basketball in high school. And his dad, who is employed at Planters, has been a member of the Industrial Basketball League.
``I kept time when my daddy played,'' Dominique said. ``He just goes up and dunks the goal.''
Dominique said he practiced his free-throw shots every day during the summer at the Birdsong Recreation Center.
A third-grade honor roll student at Booker T. Washington Elementary School, Dominique's favorite subject is math. He also enjoys playing football and was a linebacker and offensive tackle on a Pee Wee football team. He plans to attend college, where he hopes to play both basketball and football.
West, 33, was a shoo-in for chairman of the Hoop Shoot, when he joined the Elks seven years ago. He had been an assistant to the former Hoop Shoot chairman, Benny Plewes.
To enlist participants for the local Hoop Shoot competition, West sent letters to Suffolk schools in early December, asking them to hold a contest and determine a school champion. The three categories included boys and girls, who are ages 8 to 9, 10 to 11, and 12 to 13.
``The Hoop Shoot began in 1972 because the Elks wanted to do something for the kids,'' West said. ``The kids really seem to enjoy it, and as you go up, the contests become more formal and a dinner is provided.'' The winner of the national competition will be recognized at the National Convention of the Elks in New Orleans in July. ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Dominique Britt, a third-grade honor roll student at Booker T.
Washington Elementary School in Suffolk, placed fourth in the state
Hoop Shoot competition in Falls Church.
by CNB