A day before participating in the regional event in a National Basketball Association competition, Hawley Elementary School fourth grade students Alex Moore and Bella Gerace shared their excitement.

Both students had participated in the schoolwide competition of the NBA-sponsored FIT Dribble Swish & Dish program, in December, and had qualified for the regional event by earning the best performances at the school.

According to the program’s website, , the NBA FIT Dribble Swish & Dish program is a free competition that offers boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 12 to showcase their basketball skills by competing in a timed skills course, designed to challenge participants to dribble, pass, and shoot hoops accurately and quickly. Students participate in one of three levels, divided by age and gender. The competition is open to the tri-state area, according to the website, and it is held in three levels. Students compete locally, then at the regional competition, and finally, the top competitors from the regional event move on to an All-Star Finals competition, which will be held February 13 to 15 at NBA All-Star in New York City.fit.nba.com

While Alex and Bella did not advance to the All-Star Finals competition, both performed at the regional event and earned top placements.

Alex placed 11th and Bella placed fifth. The regional competition was held at the New York Knicks’ training facility at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, January 24.

Hawley Elementary School physical education teacher Doug Michlovitz oversaw students participating in the NBA FIT Dribble Swish & Dish program at Hawley, after learning about the program from Sandy Hook School elementary physical education teacher Jackie Lloyd.

Before attending the regional event, Bella and Alex said on Friday, January 23, that they both expected it to be fun.

“I think it is going to be fun,” Bella said, adding that she knew some of the other people who were going to attend.

Alex said it was “cool and fun” to earn the top score for the competition at Hawley. He also said he did not expect to win, because he does not typically play basketball.

Both Bella and Alex said they practiced at home before the final competition was held at Hawley, and before attending the regional event.