The opening "Council Division" competition of the 2009 Knights of Columbus International Free-Throw Championship will be held on Super Bowl Sunday, February 1 from 1 to 3 P.M. in

St. Anne's McCloskey Auditorium, New Hyde Park Road and Dartmouth Street, Garden City. according to "Msgr. John's Knights" Grand Knight Basil Bliss and Event Chairman "Jay" Lynch.

More than 170,000 young sharpshooters are expected to participate in over 3,000 local K of C intra-council Free-Throw competitions throughout the Order.

Entries here are welcomed from all boys and girls, ages 10 to 14, in the community unless (please check) there are school or athletic association eligibility conflicts.

Winners of the opening competition advance to the District and State competitions. Entrants at all levels compete only against entrants of the same age and gender.

Winners of the Council Division will be honored with handsome trophies to be presented at a "Pizzas and Trophies" Council family get-together at St. Anne's Cafeteria prior to a future Knights monthly meeting. All entrants in the opening competition receive a Certificate of Participation.

In the Council competition, each contestant receives three warm-up tosses followed by 15 consecutive free-throw attempts. To break a tie, contestants take a second round of five free throws. Successive rounds of five free throws each continue until a winner emerges.

If a winner at any level cannot participate in the next level of competition, the second-place winner should represent the area for that age group.

International Champions are announced by the K of C International headquarters, based on scores from the state level competitions.

At the February 1 opening session, entrants are required to produce written parental consent and a photo-copy of their birth certificate. Entry forms are available at registration.

Parents, families and classmates of the entrants are especially invited to attend the opening competition . By popular demand, Chairman "Jay" Lynch has scheduled another fun-filled "Knockout Basketball" exhibition during a break in the tournament.

The Knights of Columbus is an international Catholic family fraternal service organization with nearly 1.7 million members in over 12,500 local councils.