Off and running! The students have patiently waited for the halftime show to be over so they can get in line to make a basket and win a 2-liter of pop.

Halftime game proves to be POPular

by Mary Le Arneal
Published 2/26/25

With the end of the basketball season drawing near, and no home games left to play in the Tiger Arena, that means the end of the “Pop Shot” for youngsters of all ages.

In 1994 when the North Bend Booster Club started it had a halftime shoot out. (Not sure what this was, but it was probably some form of the Pop Shots we have today.)

In December 2016 the Post-Prom group asked if they could sponsor the halftime event. So they did, and it has become the highlight of many youngsters on basketball nights.

As the second quarter comes to an end, the young people start grouping at the corner of the court. When the halftime cheerleaders or dancers are done, there is a rush to get in line because they know when the basketball players come back out, the opportunity is gone.

“The biggest challenge is to get them to wait until the cheerleaders leave the floor,” one of the Post Prom chairmen, Carol Emanuel, said.

The Pop Shots are taken at halftime of the boys and girls varsity games. Kids of all ages line up with their dollar bill in their hand. For $1 they can shoot at the basket from the free throw line. There are some exceptions to the free throw line rule: smaller shooters can step up to the next line and dads can hold up the really small ones in their attempt to make a basket. If they make a basket, they rush to the cart in the southeast corner with 2-liters of pop and pick out one. There is no proof shown, the Post Prom workers trust the children to be honest.

“I like it so much,” Mason Kloke, 8, said. He is the son of Brian and Jill Kloke. “I make it a lot.”

Mason thinks he has brought home eight to 10 two liters. His mom says they don’t last very long.

The first year the Post Prom did the fund raiser it made $361. Liters of pop could be found for less than a dollar. Now you can’t find 2-liters for less than a dollar, so each of the 13 Post Prom committee members look for bottles of pop on sale. The committee still makes a profit, averaging $750 a year.

“Pop has gone up and we have lots of good shooters,” Emanuel said.

They generally go through 40 2-liters a night. They usually have at least 50 on hand and it wasn’t until recently that they ran out of pop one night.

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