St. Albans’s own Jackson Sargent will be competing in the national Elks Hoop Shoot Competition in Chicago on April 28.

Sargent is 8 years old and a student at St. Albans Town Education Center. Sargent is an avid basketball player and has competed in several Elks Hoop Shoot competitions this year. The Elks Hoop Shoot has been a tradition in elementary schools across the country for nearly 50 years. Each year, students ages 8-13 compete to see how many free throws they can make. 

In an interview with The Mercury, Sargent stated that he is “very happy” during the competitions but also “a little bit nervous.” 

According to Sargent, he started out strong in his school competition with 20 out of 25 free throws winning the competition. He then moved on to the county competition, held at Bellows Free Academy, where he captured first place again. Following the county competition, Sargent traveled to Newport, Vt. for districts, which he won. After districts, he competed in Barre, Vt. for states where he continued his winning streak. Most recently, Sargent traveled to Maine for regionals where he proved himself once again, winning the competition and qualifying for nationals. 

Sargent’s father, Roy Sargent, who is a special education teacher at BFA, is following his son’s journey. Roy Sargent said he is “very proud.” 

Sargent has accomplished so much and said he is “super excited” to head to Chicago.