68 players. eight weeks. three champions.

By GemPages
Elite, Virtual League
Jul 06, 2026

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By GemPages
Elite, Virtual League
Jul 06, 2026

Share This Blog

inside the first-ever pop-a-shot home league

Earlier this year, 68 players across 17 teams signed up for something that had never existed before: the first-ever Pop-A-Shot Home League.


Over the next eight weeks, teams competed from their own homes, submitting scores and game videos each week while climbing division standings and chasing playoff spots.

 

Season 1 also proved something important: a national at-home competition can work. Players from across the country competed against one another without ever leaving home, while weekly score submissions and video verification helped ensure a fair and competitive league.


By the end of the season, three teams had earned championships. Along the way, players achieved personal bests, joined the Century Club for the first time, and helped build the foundation for future Home Leagues.

three divisions. three champions.

century club division champion: pop-a-shot bros

The Pop-A-Shot Bros consisted of four brothers: Ryan (15), Rory (13), Riley (11), and Regan (8).

 

The youngest team in the league—and the only team without an adult member—the brothers finished the regular season undefeated before capturing the Century Club Division championship.


According to team manager Ryan Horanburg—the brothers' father and a longtime Pop-A-Shot fan—the family's Pop-A-Shot story stretches back decades. "Our Pop-A-Shot legacy started back in 1989," he explained. "Our great-grandmother Audrey Horanburg worked a second job at a gas station in a tiny town called Olcott, NY, just so she could have enough money to purchase her grandson a Pop-A-Shot hoop for Christmas that year."

 

More than 35 years later, that same grandson is now a father himself, and his four sons are Home League champions. When asked about a favorite memory from Season 1, the brothers didn't mention winning the championship.

 

Instead, they pointed to the late nights spent together trying to improve. "Staying up till midnight trying to improve our scores once we reached the playoffs was fun, crazy, and so memorable."

bonus time division champion: stlou-sy shooters

The STLOU-sy Shooters brought together four players who had spent more than 20 years competing against one another in bubble hockey.


Team captain Craig "King" Cole, along with teammates Truzi, Just Jim, and Retro, entered the season as experienced competitors but relatively new Pop-A-Shot players. Per Cole, joining the Home League accelerated everyone's development. "Beyond the hours spent shooting for that better score, we desired to push each other, which
made the biggest difference. Every member of the team set personal goals and held one another accountable."


That improvement showed up throughout the season. All four teammates became Century Club players, and by the final week every member of the team was regularly posting scores above 120. The Shooters finished the season undefeated and captured the Bonus Time Division championship.


Their advice for future competitors? "Never give up. Each week, push each other to better your scores. It may not occur immediately, but given time, it will."

buzzer beater division champion: area 34 ballers

The Area 34 Ballers brought together team captain Kate, her husband Dave, her cousin Ellen, and Ellen's daughter Charlotte. The league gave the family a reason to compete together despite living apart and juggling busy schedules.


Kate had been eagerly waiting for Home League to launch and quickly assembled a team when registration opened. By the end of the season, that team had become Buzzer Beater Division champions.


The Ballers improved steadily throughout the season and recorded their highest team score of the year in the championship match.

 

For Kate, Pop-A-Shot is about more than competition. She has lived with a long-term illness for several years and uses Pop-A-Shot as a form of therapeutic exercise and physical activity. Some days she plays standing up. Other days she plays
seated.

 

Her experience highlights something unique about the game: people of different ages,
backgrounds, and ability levels can all compete together. As Kate explained: "Pop-A-Shot isn't just a hobby and a lifestyle. For some with long-term illness or a medical situation, Pop-A-Shot is therapeutic and a way of exercise and repetitive movement."

one of the biggest stories was player improvement

One of the most interesting parts of Season 1 was watching teams improve over the course of eight weeks. Across the league, average team scores increased from 644 points in the preseason to 867 points by the end of the regular season, a 35% improvement. Several teams made even bigger jumps. Fountain City Flight nearly doubled its preseason score, while Area 34 Ballers improved by 55% and STLOU-SY Shooters improved by 45%. Individual improvement followed a similar trend. Nine players recorded their first-ever Century Club score during the season.

more than just scores

One of the most enjoyable parts of Season 1 was seeing each team develop its own identity. Teams created names, logos, traditions, and rivalries.
Some teams were made up of brothers. Others consisted of parents and children, longtime friends, spouses, cousins, or neighbors. The personalities of teams like the Pop-A-Shot Bros, Persson Party, Hebron Globetrotters, Pkow Popaholics, Next Door Netters, Famiglia Bucketz, The Triple Yaxels, and Caputo Crunch Punch helped make the league unique from the very beginning.

looking ahead

The inaugural Home League accomplished exactly what we hoped it would. It created meaningful competition for players at home, gave teammates a reason to play together each week, and showed that a national at-home league is possible. Season 1 is complete, but we're already thinking about what's next. If you'd like to hear about future Home Leagues, tournaments, and other at-home competitions, subscribe below and be the first to know when registration opens for the next season.

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