More than three million participants take part in the annual Elks National Hoop Shoot competition, according to George Young, the director of the local event. The competition was sponsored by the Burbank Elks Lodge No. 1497 and funded and administered by the Elks National Foundation.
Local winners advance to district contests, then possibly state, regional, and national competitions.
"The main rule is to have fun," said Young, a veteran of the Vietnam War who has directed the event for five years. "I love to give back to the community. Giving back to the community is doing things like this. I like to inspire the kids to go to school, to do the right things and to be respectful.
"I'm not a yeller. I'm not a screamer. I'm a teacher. We try to come together here as a family."
Jimenez was not the only member of her family to win Saturday.
Her younger sister, Sophia, won the 10-11 division, making 12 free throws a year after losing by one.
"I was a little bit nervous and I was excited at the same time," said Sophia, who won the Burbank event in 2009. "I tried to stay calm and be more focused and not get pressured."
The most nervous member of the Jimenez family might have been the girls' mother, Elsa Jimenez.
"I can't eat," said Jimenez, a Hoover High graduate. "I'm more nervous about the other competitors."
Nerves ran rampant throughout the competitors.
"I was nervous, but I just kept my cool when I played," said Kalam Park, who made 12 free throws to win the boys' 10-11 division.
Arman Ekmekchian waited and kept track of his competition while waiting his turn in the 12-13 boys' event.
After watching his friend Arthur Martirosian make 16 free throws, Ekmekchian stepped to the line and calmly made 17 to win the event.
"I was counting how many free throws everybody made," said a grinning Ekmekchian.
Madelayne Shadkam and Zach Denton won the girls' and boys' 8-9 competitions, respectively.
