Rory Walker is a provincial champion.
The Antigonish native captured first place in the boys-11 classification at the Nova Scotia Knights of Columbus Free Throw Championship, earlier this month in Bible Hill.
“Not really,” Walker said, with a smile, when asked if he was nervous during the competition.
After shooting 20-for-25, he finished deadlocked with another competitor. It took two five-shot, one-on-one showdowns to crown the champion.
“It was awesome,” Walker said.
Those head-to-head moments were the centre of attention in the gymnasium.
“Good form,” he said of what is a key to being a strong free throw shooter.
Walker, participating in his second KOC provincial competition, wasn’t the only Antigonish Junior X-Men basketball program product who took home hardware.
Jacob Colton, his friend and teammate, garnered third place in the boys-12 category.
“It was a lot of fun,” he said of his first time at the provincial level.
Since 1972, councils have sponsored the Knights of Columbus International Free Throw Championship, for boys and girls, between the ages of 9 and 14.
Contestants compete in gender and age group classifications.
Competition begins at the local council level before moving on to the provincials, while some make it to the international stage.
The boys thanked the Antigonish KOC councils for their support, including a pizza party they provided for them.
