Schools Take Aim On NASP - Georgia Regional Archery Tournaments

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Over the next month, more than 50 archery teams and close to 1,000 students in grades 4-12 will compete at one of five 2012 National Archery in the Schools Program-GA Regional Tournaments.

The regional sites and tournament dates are:

• Jan. 28 – Regional 1, Loganville High School, Loganville, GA
• Jan. 30 – Regional 2, Peach County High School, Fort Valley, GA
• Feb. 4 – Regional 3, Lee County Elementary School, Leesburg, GA
• Feb. 11 – Regional 4, Woodlawn Elementary School, Chatsworth, GA
• Feb. 25 – Regional 5, Johnson County High School, Wrightsville, GA

The highest scoring archery teams in each division (elementary, middle and high school) will qualify for the 6th annual NASP-Georgia State Tournament, scheduled for March 21 in Perry at the Georgia Fairgrounds. An additional 11 wildcard teams also will receive an invitation to the state tournament.

At the regional tournaments, archers shoot three rounds of five arrows each from 10 and 15 meters. Teams of 16-24 students from each school compete in three separate divisions: elementary (4th-6th grade), middle (7th-8th grade) and high (9th-12th grade).

Regional and state tournaments for NASP are sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division and the Georgia Wildlife Federation.

For more information on NASP and tournaments in Georgia, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/NASP .

More on NASP
NASP is an in-school archery curriculum that meets all education department standards. Only schools that are certified in NASP through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are qualified to compete in the State Tournament. Schools in nearly 70 counties in Georgia are NASP certified.

The program promotes instruction in international-style target archery to improve educational performance and participation in shooting sports. Research has shown that the program, administered through a minimum two-week course during the school year, improves class attendance and behavior. NASP universal fit bows make it possible for students of all sizes and genders to succeed in archery while raising self-esteem levels and improving hand-eye coordination during physical activity.

NASP is taught in 47 states and six other countries. To date, more than nine million students have participated in the program.

For more information on NASP in Georgia, call Jennifer Pittman at (770) 918-6416 or e-mail jennifer.pittman@dnr.state.ga.us .

Pennsylvania Game Commission

Pennsylvania --(Ammoland.com)- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are encouraging all schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools (NASP) to register for Pennsylvania’s 2012 NASP State Tournament, which will be held on Friday, March 9, at the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility in University Park, Centre County.

While there is no fee to register, registration opens on Friday, Jan. 27, and closes on Monday, Feb. 17. Registration can be done through the NASP link in the “Education” tab of on the Game Commission’s homepage (www.pgc.state.pa.us), or directly through the NASP Tournament website (www.nasptournaments.org).

NASP helps school districts in Pennsylvania meet physical education curriculum requirements of the state Department of Education, while at the same time introducing them to the world of competitive archery.

Last year, more than 350 students from a dozen school districts participated in the NASP state competition. This year, event organizers are expecting nearly 600 students from even more school districts.

“In addition to offering students a state archery championship for teams and individuals to compete for honors and trophies, the Game Commission is working with various partners to provide tournament participants and spectators the opportunity to visit a host of vendors, from archery equipment suppliers to wildlife exhibits from Shaver’s Creek,” said Samantha Pedder, who is the Game Commission outreach coordinator and state-level administrator for NASP.

Started in Kentucky, in 2002, NASP has spread throughout the United States, and is now reaching around the world, and includes nearly nine million participating students. There are 8,800 schools participating in NASP in 47 states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tournaments are held at the state, national and international levels. The 2011 national competition was held in Louisville, Kentucky; and the international event was held at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.

NASP came to Pennsylvania in 2005. In mid-2010, the Game Commission began coordinating the program and has grown the program by working with 40 different school districts to get NSAP up and running in their schools.

For more information on NASP, visit www.archeryintheschools.org. To get NASP started in a Pennsylvania school, contact Samantha Pedder, at the Game Commission headquarters, at 717-787-4250 (ext. 3327). Also, “PA NASP” can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennNASP.

Emily Bee, a high school student from Hartland, was recently honored at a Michigan Natural Resources Commission meeting in Lansing for taking the world championship in the female division in the National Archery in the Schools World Competition. Pictured here with Bee, from the left, are: Frank Wheatlake, NRC vice-chair; Mary Emmons, DNR’s Archery Program coordinator; Rob Jellison, Bee’s coach at Hartland High School; Emily Bee; and DNR Director Rodney Stokes.

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- In October, 1,071 kids from around the world arrived at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex to compete in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) World Tournament.

The three-day competition included students in grades 4 thru 12 from 28 states, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa.

Michigan student Emily Bee, a Hartland High School sophomore, emerged from the tournament a world champion archer. Bee scored 292 out of a possible 300 points earning first place in the female division and a NASP World Tournament title.

“When my name was called, I couldn’t believe it, I’m still in shock that I’m first in the world,” Bee said. Bee won more than $4,000 in scholarships, two new bows and a target, among other honors. Hartland also did well as a team, finishing fourth overall and only 15 points from first place.

“The Hartland archery program is an excellent representation of the Department of Natural Resources’ Archery in the Schools Program,” said Mary Emmons, DNR Archery Education coordinator. “Under Hartland Coach Rob Jellison’s direction, the school’s archery team has acquired seven state championships, two top five finishes at worlds, one national champion and one world record since the program started in 2007.”

DNR Director Rodney Stokes honored Bee at a recent Natural Resources Commission meeting for her world record achievement by presenting her with a plaque and a letter from Michigan Governor Rick Snyder.

“There is no doubt in my mind that archery is a challenging sport, both physically and mentally, but you can truly get children of every age, size, and athletic ability shooting arrows safely down range,” said Jellison, “I love seeing some of my star athletes from other sports shooting on the same team as students who have never been on a ‘team’ until archery.”

The DNR Archery in the Schools introduces international-style target archery to students in 4th through 12th grade physical education classes. The in-school curriculum’s core content covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration and self-improvement. To date, more than 500 schools across Michigan have implemented the program.

The DNR offers free archery certification classes for teachers. Additionally, archery equipment grants are available to schools, both public and private, that enroll in the Archery in the Schools program.

For more information on Archery in the Schools, contact Mary Emmons at 517-241-9477 or by email at emmonsm@michigan.gov. Information also is available online at www.michigan.gov/archery.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr

West Virginia DNR

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. – -(Ammoland.com)- The next training session for instructors of the West Virginia Archery in the Schools (AIS) Program has been scheduled for Feb. 22 – 23 at Cacapon Resort State Park, according to Krista Snodgrass, Program Coordinator. The training will be hosted by the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR).

“We are very excited to be holding our next training at Cacapon in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle,” said Snodgrass. “When possible, we like to provide trainings at our state parks and Cacapon is a perfect venue for PE teachers, coaches, and others wanting to get their school involved in the AIS Program.”

The AIS Program has become the DNR’s largest-growing educational program. Since its inception in 2004, nearly 60,000 students have been introduced to archery as part of their physical education (PE) classes in 238 West Virginia schools. The program teaches Olympic-style, target archery in both public and private schools Grades 4 through 12.

“In order for schools to participate in the AIS Program, they must first have a certified instructor – preferably a PE instructor or coach who will introduce as many kids as possible to the joys of target archery,” said Snodgrass.

“The DNR only has about four trainings a year and, because class size is limited to 25, training slots are highly sought after. As an added incentive, teachers taking this training may be eligible to receive Continuing Education Hours (CEH’s) provided they submit their paperwork to their principal before the end of the school year.”

To ensure a training slot, anyone interested in getting their school involved in the program is encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The deadline to register is Feb. 1. This training will cost $25 for all school employees and $50 for non-school employees. This fee will be paid to WVDNR – Archery in the Schools Program (via check, money order or exact currency only) during the first morning of the training.

To register for the AIS training at Cacapon Resort State Park, please call Krista Snodgrass at 304-558-2771; email Krista.R.Snodgrass@wv.gov for information on the AIS Program, or visit the DNR’s AIS website at www.wvdnr.gov/archery. For more information on Cacapon Resort State Park, go to www.cacaponresort.com

National Archery in the Schools Program

USA – -(Ammoland.com)- As important year-end holidays approach I hope all of you are able to enjoy great health, activities, and people who are important in your life.

In this issue of the NASP messenger you will find that Kevin Dixon has compiled a variety of notes about the NASP World Tournament, NASP training, and coordinator changes.

Also included are high- lights from a couple of special projects involving Native American schools.

It does my heart good to learn of NASP Coordinators who have been promoted or otherwise moved upward in their careers.

During my FW career I moved fourteen times in three states. Keep reading below for more great news…

National Archery in the Schools Program Messenger – World Tournament Issue

If you would like to learn more about NASP and how to help our nonprofit foundation bring the program to more students please check us out at: at: www.archeryintheschools.org or www.nasparchery.com

National Archery in the Schools Program

USA --(Ammoland.com)- Beginning with practice rounds on Thursday October 6 , 2011, 1,071 kids from around the world arrived at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex with their teams, teachers, parents and siblings to kick off the 2011 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) World Tournament.

According to NASP President Roy Grimes, “Out of the 1104 students who registered for ‘Worlds’, only thirty-three (3%) students were no-shows.” Grimes also states, “This participation level represents an increase of 19% over the 902 shooters in 2010 and 76% higher than the 609 students at our first world tournament in 2009.”

From these statistics, it’s obvious there is a growing interest for NASP-style archery not only in the United States, but around the world as students from Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa joined the fun.

In fact, for the first time, a “Cultural Exchange” session was conducted at the tournament. Teachers asked for this type of activity to increase the educational experience for student archers. On Friday evening, half-way through the tournament, students from Canada, New Zealand, and South Africa positioned themselves in a booth with their country flags to meet students from the states. The session was so popular it will be expanded next year. Students signed flags, shared information, and answered quizzes about foreign locations. It seemed students most enjoyed comparing each others accent! Prizes were donated during the cultural exchange by Field Logic, Easton Technical Products, and Morrell Manufacturing.

Expanding upon archery’s every-kid attraction, Robert Jellison, a Michigan NASP Coach says, “Archery is a sport that anyone can do and anyone can succeed at. There is no doubt in my mind that archery is a challenging sport, both physically and mentally, but you can truly get children of every age size, and athletic ability shooting arrows safely down range. “Jellison also proclaims how much he loves seeing his, “star athletes from other sports shooting on the same team with students who have never been on a “team” until archery.”

Evidence of Jellison’s diversity assertion was clear as students from all backgrounds, genders, and abilities took center stage during the hour-long awards ceremony on Saturday afternoon.

During the competition every 4th thru 12th grade student archer shot 1 practice end of 5 arrows and 3 scoring ends of 5 arrows at 10 meters. They repeated this shooting format at 15 meters. A total of 30 scoring arrows were shot for a possible score of 300 points and 30 bulls-eyes (300/30). The largest division represented at the tournament with 505 boys and girls was the Elementary Division which includes grades 4th-6th. Winners of their respective grades were as follows:

• 1st Female 4th Grade: Shelby Goodrich (276/14) — Woodlawn ES, GA
• 1st Male 4th Grade: Spencer Bartlett (281/15) — Henderson Co. S. Middle, KY
• 1st Female 5th Grade: Celsey Wood (278/13) — Eagle Mountain Magnet, AR
• 1st Male 5th Grade: Jack Looney (292/22) — Eagle Mountain Magnet, AR
• 1st Female 6th Grade: Kenzie Trent (284/19) — Anderson Co. Middle, KY
• 1st Male 6th Grade: Clay Stevens (291/21) — Trigg Co Intermediate, KY

The Middle School Division competition was joined by 202 male and 136 female student archers. Winners of this Division were:

• 1st Female Middle School: Ashley Padgett (292/22) — Meade Co , KY
• 1st Male Middle School: Cody Bush (292/22) — Philo Jr. High, OH

A total of 228 students competed in the High School Division. This division also produced the tournaments top Overall and Runner-Up Overall boy and girl champions.

• 1st Female HS & Overall Female Champion: Emily Bee (292/23) — Hartland HS, MI
• Runner-Up Female Overall: Lauren Hawker (291/22): Armstrong HS, IL
• 1st Male HS & Overall Male Champion: Ryan Long (296/26) — Madison Southern, KY
• Runner-Up Male Overall: Nathan Parcell (295/26) — Meade Co. HS, KY

Of course the team competition is what makes NASP tournaments different from most other archery venues. At this world tournament co-gender teams of 12-24 archers advanced from the NASP Nationals that were held in Louisville, KY. All the archers on each team compete. When their flight is finished scores for the team’s top 12 archers, including at least 4 from both genders, are summed to determine the team’s score.

The top ranking school in the Elementary Division went to Eagle Mountain Magnet, Arkansas with a total score of 3291. In the Middle School Division, the top scoring team was fielded by Logan Hocking Middle School, Ohio with a total score of 3319. And finally, the top ranked school in the High School Division was Henderson County High School, Kentucky, with a total score of 3400.

At the conclusion of the awards ceremony Disney’s Mickey Mouse congratulated the students and their coaches and was still having his picture made with archers as the ceremonies ended. A big congratulations goes out to not only the top ranked archers at this tournament, but to every kid who had enough determination and self-confidence to participate. (And parents and teachers willing to bring them!). Prizes were presented to winners by Mathews, Morrell, Easton, and Field Logic. The University of the Cumberlands awarded $2,400 college scholarships to each of the top five boys and girls in the High School Division. Bernie Morrell of Morrell Manufacturing provided target butts for the competitive and practice ranges. James McGovern of Rinehart Targets provided 15 dinosaur targets for the kids to enjoy on the “fun” 3-D range. The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission recruited most tournament volunteers and provided additional range building equipment.

Of course this event would be impossible to present without those dedicated and generous volunteers. Nearly 50 people came from Florida, Virginia, Arizona, British Columbia, New Zealand, Illinois, Kentucky, and Wisconsin to serve as range officials. The most boring location during the entire tournament was again the 1st Aid Station with zero accidents or injuries to treat!

It was evident in the excited smiles of student archers, proud family members and coaches that NASP continues to live up to its claim of “Changing Lives One Arrow at a Time”.

Laura Jones, a teacher in Virginia says “Chickahominy Middle School started out last fall with kids who had never drawn a bow before in their entire lives.” She also says “It was not only their first school experience where they were treated like adults, but their first experience being on a sports team.” Archery has not been just another sport that kids can join and compete, but it is a one that has made kids with little or no confidence, kids who feel like maybe they weren’t good enough, build self-confidence and determination and realize they can do anything they put their minds too. “

Take for example, the Overall Male Champion, Ryan Long. Ryan was an understudy at the Strickland Student Outdoor Adventure filming this summer.

“Ryan advised Roy Grimes in July he intended to win the 2011 NASP world tournament”.

Grimes considered this to be quite an audacious prediction considering Ryan placed fourth at Nationals and those who placed ahead of him would also be at the World event. Ryan validated his prediction!

If you would like to learn more about NASP and how to help our nonprofit foundation bring the program to more students please check us out at: at: www.archeryintheschools.org or www.nasparchery.com

Starting a College Marksmanship Club

AmmoLand Gun News

Manasquan, NJ --(Ammoland.com)- Practicing marksmanship in college offers students of both genders the opportunity to engage in a fun and exciting activity while learning important lessons about gun safety and use.

It can also be a way for college students to earn credits for college courses and potentially even scholarships for their academic endeavors. Students at schools across the country from smaller junior colleges to Ivy League institutions are taking part in marksmanship courses, clubs, and tournaments.

While marksmanship programs are being offered in an increasing number of college and university settings, they aren’t as common as other extracurricular activities. Schools with ROTC programs might offer classes on gun safety and basics of shooting, but this isn’t true throughout the country.

In some cases, students interested in marksmanship will need to organize their own clubs in order to experience the many benefits they offer.

College shooting clubs can teach more young people about firearm safety.

Starting a college marksmanship program might seem daunting for students without a program on their campus, but there are resources available to help them out. Interested students can apply for grants through the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade organization for the firearms and shooting sports industries. They established the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative grant program in 2009, which provides up to $300,000 in grants annually to accredited colleges and universities across the United States to create new or expand existing shooting programs.

Grants have been used by Jacksonville University to start a target shooting club, by Trinity College and Schreiner University to fund seminars for beginners on gun safety and target practice, and to create the New England Collegiate Clay Target Championship, featuring teams from Harvard, Yale, Brown, and Tufts.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation recommends students who want to launch a marksmanship or target shooting club at their school work closely with the safety or risk management office early in the development process. It’s a requirement for receiving funding through the Collegiate Shooting Sports Initiative and an important step to ensure safety and institutional support.

With increased emphasis on gun safety in the wake of shooting incidents at several campuses in recent years, students will want to make sure their shooting clubs are following all campus rules and regulations on weapons before proceeding. Working closely with safety officers on campus and making them aware that marksmanship programs will teach safety and prevent gun problems can create partnerships that will help as programs go through the approval process with the school.

Students will also want to consider which students to address with their initial recruitment efforts. Launching a club as a recreational activity rather than a competitive endeavor will create a broader pool of potential participants. Programs will also need to find a faculty or staff member to serve as liaison with the school. The school’s ROTC is a good place to start. Another option is asking local firing ranges if they know of any faculty or staff from the school who are members.

While marksmanship programs aren’t for every college student, they can offer many benefits for those already interested in target shooting or who want to learn more about this activity. Skilled students can compete in tournaments that offer significant scholarships and other awards, but students at all levels interested in target shooting and gun safety can benefit from collegiate shooting clubs.

National Archery in the Schools Program

USA --(Ammoland.com)- The Easton Foundations (EF) have again partnered with the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) to provide $300,000 in grant assistance for schools to enroll in this exciting program.

Over the next few months, each of the 47 NASP states, 5 Provinces, and Washington DC will be allocated $6,000.

Last school year was the first time NASP and EF partnered to provide these equipment grants.

While the grants were intended to assist 300 schools, 517 new NASP schools actually received grants.

Once educators at a prospect school learn about NASP, the next biggest obstacle to bringing archery instruction to their students is the purchase of the archery equipment kit. Thanks to very cooperative pricing by NASP suppliers, the equipment kit costs a school far less than its retail value. Even so, it costs about $3,000 to outfit a typical Physical Education archery class of 24-36 students. NASP’s equipment specifications are highly standardized in every school world-wide. Each school uses the same bow and arrow. The Genesis by Mathews Archery is a high quality universal-fit compound bow designed for sharing among several student archers. The Genesis arrow was specifically designed by Easton Technical Products to be safe, durable, and effective for the archery student.

This principle of every student using the same equipment in archery class makes certain the focus of student learning is on mastering the process of safe and proper shooting. If different types of equipment were used the teacher’s role would be more complicated, NASP®’s perfect safety record could be impacted, and the student’s mastery of how to shoot could be short-circuited.

Most of the more than 8,800 schools that have joined the program to date have been able to purchase their equipment with little help from outside sources. However, many schools are unable to raise this money without assistance. Some schools raise money locally among civic organizations, conservation clubs or chapters of the National Wild Turkey Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, or Safari Club International. Innovative teachers enlist the aid of parents to hold fund raising events to raise money for equipment. In many NASP jurisdictions the fish and wildlife conservation agency provides grants for the purchase of school archery equipment kit.

To help alleviate financial barriers we at NASP are excited about the generosity of the Easton Foundations (EF). EF is a non-profit foundation established by James L. Easton for the purpose of training and developing a pool of world class archers able to compete at the highest levels. The strategy used to accomplish the Foundation’s purpose is the creation or support of programs to develop archers at many levels in order to strengthen and deepen the available talent pool. “The Easton Foundations have supported NASP Schools for a number of years with equipment grants directly to the schools, support of the NASP School Equipment Grant Program allows us to assist more schools and leverage the great work of the NASP organization and State Coordinators”, commented Greg Easton from the Easton Foundations. For more about the Easton Foundations visit www.eastonfoundations.org

This grant offer is popular with coordinators who run NASP in their respective states.

Tim Beck, the Indiana DNR NASP Coordinator reports, “These equipment grants have allowed many Indiana schools to join and participate in this unique and engaging program. There is no doubt, without this type of boost some of our students would not be able to join the fun.” Florida Fish & Wildlife Commission’s Steve Robbins tells us, “Our agency provides a limited number of grants to start new NASP schools. These EF and NASP grants help even more private and public schools join Florida’s NASP effort. We have teachers waiting and hoping the grant will be renewed this year.”

The National Archery in the Schools Program is in its 10th year. If you would like to learn more about NASP and how to help our nonprofit foundation bring the program to more students please check us out at: at: www.archeryintheschools.org or www.nasparchery.com

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- Nearly 500 schools in Michigan participate in the DNR National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP).

This in-school target archery program is geared toward students in 4th thru 12th grade who take physical education. Students who attend a NASP School are eligible to compete in Michigan’s NASP state tournament each spring. For those who excel at the State Tournament, qualification to participate at the NASP National Tournament is a great reward.

The 2011 NASP national tournament was held May 13-14 in Louisville, Kentucky. Nearly 7,000 archers from 34 states registered to compete at the national tournament. Among those registered were 145 students, representing six teams from Michigan.

Shelby Simonds, 11th grader from Hartland Middle School placed 5th overall in the High School female division after winning a tie breaking shoot off. Simonds, whose score was 290 out of 300, received a medal for her accomplishment and placed first overall among all 11th grade female archers. Steven Schram, 9th grader from Bark River Harris, placed in the top 20 among all male archers with a score of 291 out of 300.

Hartland Elementary, Middle and High School teams performed strongly, placing in the top 20 for their divisions respectively. Other teams competing in the tournament from Michigan include: Gaylord St. Mary Cathedral, Northwoods Christian Homeschool and Laker School.

The DNR is currently offering archery equipment grants and free archery instructor certification training to schools, both public and private, that enroll in the Archery in the Schools program. For more information, contact Mary Emmons at 517-241-9477; e-mail emmonsm@michigan.gov , or visit the DNR Archery website at www.michigan.gov/archery.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations.

Missouri Department of Conservation

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. --(Ammoland.com)- The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) national tournament brought 6,731 archers from 34 states, including 286 students from Missouri, to Louisville, Ky.

Attendance at the national tournament May 13 and 14 was just shy of the 2010 world-record attendance of 6,784. Missouri students in grades 4 through 12 competed in elementary, middle and high school divisions. The Show-Me State archers earned qualifying scores in the state tournament to be eligible for the national tournament.

Katie Nordstrom from Willard High School was Missouri’s top female archer with 282 points out of 300. Skyler Price from Maries R-2 Schools took the honor of top male archer with 288 points.

Longview Farm Elementary of Lee’s Summit ranked 22nd of 78 teams in the elementary division. George Guffey Elementary School of Fenton was close behind at 23rd, and St. Joseph Cathedral School of Jefferson City finished 65th in the division.

In the middle school division, Ridgewood Middle School of Arnold finished 29th of 104 teams. Crane Middle School ranked 46th, Holy Rosary School of Clinton 49th, Willard Middle School 64th, Cole Camp Middle School 93rd and St. Joseph Cathedral School 96th.

Willard High School ranked highest of Missouri high school teams at 48th of 111 schools. Galena High School was right behind at 49th. Crane High School placed 61st, and Helias Catholic High School of Jefferson City ranked 108th.

Fifteen individual archers competed from Missouri schools including Perry Christian Academy, Salem Upper Elementary, North Wood R-IV of Salem, Meramec Heights Elementary of Arnold, St. Clair Junior High and Simpson Elementary of Arnold.

“The growth of the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program (MoNASP) has been tremendous over the past four years,” said MDC Education Outreach Coordinator Amy Francka, who coordinates the state program. “This surge has led students outdoors with their families to participate in this lifetime sport. Many local conservation groups and civic organizations are also volunteering to help support MoNASP in their communities. Students are connecting with family members, coaches and teachers through archery. This connection and confidence gained through archery will spread into other parts of their lives.”

For more information about the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program, visit www.missouriconservation.org and search “MoNASP.”

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

LOUISVILLE, Ky. --(Ammoland.com)- Georgia is home to the first place elementary school archery team in the country after this month’s National Archery in the Schools Program National Tournament.

Woodlawn Elementary’s finish is the highest ever by a Georgia school competing at NASP Nationals, which saw more than 7,000 student archers from nearly 300 schools and 34 states compete in the elementary, middle and high school divisions.

The tournament is the largest archery competition in the world. In addition to Woodlawn Elementary, ten additional Georgia schools had students competing at this event.

“I am so proud of all of these students for their efforts,” says Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division Shooting Sports Coordinator Jennifer Pittman.

“They have put in a lot of hours, work, sweat and tears to participate all year and then place well enough at the State competition which allowed them to go to Nationals. I commend their coaches and parents for allowing them to participate and look forward to where we go from here!”

Georgia School rankings:

• Woodlawn Elementary School in Chatsworth finished first in the country in the elementary division with a team score of 3,244. Woodlawn won the NASP World Championship in November 2010, and have won two consecutive state championships.
• Bay Creek Elementary School in Loganville placed eleventh in the division (4th-6th grade) with its score of 3,122, while Youth Elementary School finished 52nd nationally with a score of 2,973. There were 78 elementary school teams, made up of 16-24 student archers, competing from around the United States.
• Bagley County Middle School placed 28th in the middle school division (7th- 8th grade) with a score of 3,211. Morgan County Middle School in Madison placed 60th with a 3,079. Dodge County Middle in Eastman fired a 2,968 to finish 83rd. There were 104 middle schools teams competing.
• Miller County High School placed 88th in the high school division (9th – 12th grade) with a score of 3,068. Peach County High School placed 97th with a 3,036. Dodge County High School shot a score of 2,918 for 110th place. There were 111 teams competing in this Division.

Additional schools that sent competitors included Lee County Elementary and Lake Park Elementary.

MORE ABOUT NASP
NASP is an in-school archery curriculum that meets all education department standards. Only schools that are certified in NASP through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are qualified to compete. Schools in nearly 80 counties in Georgia are NASP certified.

The program promotes instruction in international-style target archery to improve educational performance and participation in shooting sports. Research has shown that the program, administered through a minimum two-week course during the school year, improves class attendance and behavior. NASP universal fit bows make it possible for students of all sizes and genders to succeed in archery while raising self-esteem levels and improving hand-eye coordination during physical activity.

NASP is taught in 46 states as well as Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. To date, more than 6 million students have gone through the program.

For more information on NASP in Georgia, recreational shooting sports opportunities or to find a range near you, visit www.georgiawildlife.com, or call (770) 918-6416.

Ohio Department Natural Resources

COLUMBUS, OH --(Ammoland.com)-  Thirty-one Ohio teams of 699 student archers competed at the 2011 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) National Championship, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife.

The competition was held in Louisville, Kentucky on May 13 and 14; it drew more than 7,000 students from 34 states and Canadian provinces.

Logan Hocking Middle School in southeastern Ohio finished third in the middle school division. Maysville Middle School of Zanesville finished fifth in the same division.

Hayden Perry of Maysville Middle School in Zanesville became the third Ohioan to take an individual title at the national competition. Perry finished tied for first in the Middle School Male Division with a score of 294 out of a possible 300.

Ciara Cox of Logan High School placed fourth in the High School Female Division, shooting 290 from a possible 300.

The National Archery in the Schools Program brings target archery to the school gym. The curriculum covers archery, safety, equipment, technique, concentration skills, and self-improvement. Kentucky originated NASP in 2002. Ohio has participated in the program since 2004. For more information on the program, visit ohionasp.com.

For a complete list of results for the 2011 National Archery in the Schools Program National Championships visit archeryintheschools.org.

The ODNR ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR Web site at ohiodnr.com.

National Archery in the Schools Program

Louisville, Kentucky --(Ammoland.com)- The Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky will host the largest archery event in the world in 2011.

On May 13, 14,2011 teams from 34 states will compete for more than 300 teams and individual medals, trophies , banners, and plaques. Three hundred ninety three schools will fill more than 400 team slots with total participation eclipsing the 2010 world record attendance of 6784.

With a few days to the close of registration on April 25, 6956 boys and girls from 4th-12th grades have registered. Every team registered for the tournament qualified for these NASP Nationals at their state’s tournament.

NASP is a coed activity and this year 33% (2787) of the registered participants are girls. Teams and their parents, coaches, sponsors, and fans will fill local hotels and restaurants for several days. “Flights” of shooters will dominate the more than 1250 feet ( also a world record) target range inside the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center starting Friday morning, May 13, at 9:00 am. Competition will conclude on Saturday night, May 14 at about 6:00pm with the “Scholarship Shoot-Off” and awards ceremony.

The event is open to the public. Children over the age of 12 and adults are five dollars general admission and this provides access to more than 40 exhibitors on the show floor. Exhibits range from archery related businesses to “ adventure tourism” activities. This year the exhibit floor and the tournament are co-sponsored by the Kentucky Tourism Development Cabinet and its Adventure Tourism section.

NASP conducts this event with tremendous support from host partner the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. NASP also partners with 47 state fish and wildlife agencies and the District of Columbia in this the 8th National tournament. NASP sponsors, the National Field Archery Association and Morrell Manufacturing are providing much of the equipment and targets to build this mammoth indoor archery range.

NASP began with twenty one Kentucky middle schools in March 2002 and has grown to nearly 9000 schools and two million student archer athletes this school year. This year’s tournament will be conducted with more than one hundred volunteers.

For more information on volunteering contact rgrimes@nasparchery.com.

Archery Trade Organization

New Ulm, Minn. --(Ammoland.com)- Earlier this year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (F&WS) officially connected Explore Bowhunting to the nation’s most reliable source for conservation education: The Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act.

This program, which is funded by federal excise taxes (FET), is a longstanding source of revenue will now have a pipeline straight from the pockets of ATA manufacturers to an educational program with the potential to recruit bowhunters and archers.

Jay McAninch, CEO/president of the Archery Trade Association, considers the F&WS decision one of the two most important FET developments during his 10-plus years with ATA. The other important development in the last decade? The decision to allow Pittman-Robertson funds for the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). That decision was made by the F&WS about eight years ago.

“This funding is a big shot in the arm for Explore Bowhunting and the industry’s efforts to promote outdoor education and recruit more bowhunters,” McAninch said.

“State agencies are strapped for money right now, but they can pursue Pittman-Robertson funding for approved education programs like NASP and Explore Bowhunting. That’s a tremendous resource for wildlife agencies trying to ensure the future of archery and bowhunting in their states.”

About
The Archery Trade Association is the organization for manufacturers, retailers, distributors, sales representatives and others working in the archery and bowhunting industry. Visit: www.archerytrade.org

Georgia Department of Natural Resources

SOCIAL CIRCLE, Ga. --(Ammoland.com)- Does your child’s school have programs that add both diversity and interest to the classroom and “engage the unengaged” student?

The National Archery in the Schools Program is a program that can help accomplish this objective.

The National Archery in the Schools Program is an approved physical education program that has been in Georgia schools since 2003. The program originated in Kentucky in 2002 and now has 47 states, with more than 7,000 certified schools and two million students that participate each year.

“Archery is a sport that anyone – male or female, small or large – can find success as long as they practice and dedicate time to achieve their goals,” says State Shooting Sports Director Jennifer Pittman. “It is a program that teaches concentration, hand-eye coordination, patience and determination – all of which mesh perfectly with school goals.”

A new video, available on YouTube at www.youtube.com/GeorgiaWildlife , illustrates what a difference the program can make within a school. The video features students from the 2010 NASP World Champion Woodlawn Elementary School of Chatsworth, GA.

MORE ABOUT NASP
NASP is an in-school archery curriculum that meets all education department standards. The program promotes instruction in international-style target archery to improve educational performance and participation in shooting sports.

Research has shown that the program, administered through a minimum two-week course during the school year, improves class attendance and behavior. NASP universal fit bows make it possible for students of all sizes and genders to succeed in archery while raising self-esteem levels and improving hand-eye coordination during physical activity.

NASP is taught in 47 states as well as Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. To date, more than 7 million students have gone through the program.

HOW CAN YOU GET NASP IN YOUR CHILD’S SCHOOL?
Interested in NASP? Be sure to share this information and video with other parents, teachers, and school administrators to build support. Then, to find out more about implementing the program in your school, please contact Shooting Sports Director Jennifer Pittman at 770.388.0045 or Jennifer.Pittman@dnr.state.ga.us .

Pennsylvania Game Commission

UNIVERSITY PARK, Centre County –-(Ammoland.com)- Excessive rain and localized flooding may have impacted the number of students who attended the recent National Archery in the Schools (NASP) 2011 State Tournament on March 11, but it certainly didn’t damper spirits, according to Pennsylvania Game Commission officials, who hosted the event at the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility in University Park, Centre County.

The top schools in each of the three divisions – elementary, middle school and high school – automatically qualified for the upcoming national championships in Louisville, Kentucky, from May 13-14. In addition, those teams that meet minimum qualifying scores also are eligible.

The first place team in the elementary school division (grades fourth through sixth) was Choconut Valley Elementary School. The middle school division champions (grades seventh through eighth) were the archers from New Castle Christian Academy. Williams Valley High School won the high school division (grades ninth through twelfth). In addition, the high school division teams of Halifax High School and Blue Ridge High qualified for the national competition based on their total scores.

Also, 50 individuals who placed first through fifth in the male and female category for each grade level of the elementary division (fourth through sixth) and in the middle and high school divisions also qualified for the national competition.

For a complete list of team and individual results, go to www.nasptournaments.org, scroll down and click on “2011 Pennsylvania NASP State Tournament.”

In mid-2010, the Game Commission began coordinating Pennsylvania’s NASP, which helps Pennsylvania school districts meet physical education curriculum requirements of the state Department of Education, while at the same time introducing them to the world of competitive archery.

“Pennsylvania NASP has grown to include an additional 27 schools,” said Julie Imes, Game Commission Outreach Coordinator, who oversees NASP for the agency. “We are going to continue to work with school districts across the state to enroll more schools in the program, and we hope to see even more participants at next year’s competition.”

According to figures from NASP, 30 percent of students who participate in the archery program indicate that they are more interested in other shooting sports since taking the archery program in school. Also, more than half of NASP participants indicated that they wanted to continue target archery and 56 percent wanted to try archery hunting, which has a direct relationship to the Game Commission’s mission to recruit and retain hunters.

“From the Game Commission’s perspective, NASP® is a win-win situation,” Imes noted.

Started in Kentucky, in 2002, NASP has spread throughout the United States, and is now reaching around the world. By the end of the 2010-11 school year, nine million students will have gone through NASP lessons in 9,000 schools throughout 47 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tournaments are held at the state, national and international levels.

NASP is a joint venture that partners with state education and wildlife management agencies and archery equipment manufacturers and organizations to promote student education, physical education and participation in the lifelong sport of archery. The program’s focus is to provide international-style archery training in physical education classes in grades four through 12.

For more information on Pennsylvania NASP, visit the Game Commission’s website (www.pgc.state.pa.us), put your cursor on “EDUCATION” in the menu bar at the top of the homepage and click on “PGC NASP” in the drop-down menu listing. To get NASP started in a Pennsylvania school, contact Julie Imes, at the Game Commission headquarters, at 717-787-4250. Also, “PA NASP” can be found on Facebook by searching for “Pennsylvania NASP.”

Michigan DNR 2011 Archery in the Schools State Tournament Winners

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- The Department of Natural Resources today announced the winners of Michigan’s Fifth Annual State Virtual Archery Tournament.

Nearly 800 student archers enrolled at schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) competed in the recent tournament.

Team awards will be presented as follows:

High School Division

• First Place – Gaylord St. Mary Cathedral High School
• Second Place -Northwoods Christian Homeschool
• Third Place -Hartland High School

Middle School Division

• First Place – Hartland Middle School
• Second Place – Kent City Community Schools
• Third Place – St. Francis Xavier School

Elementary School Division

• First Place – Hartland Elementary School
• Second Place – Academy of the Americas
• Third Place – Portage Central Middle School

The 2011 overall male state champion is Steven Schram, 9th grade student at Bark River-Harris in Delta County. Schram also finished first in the 2010 NASP State Tournament and placed second at the 2010 NASP World Tournament. The 2010 overall female state champion is Mariah Kestila, 11th grade student at Escanaba High School in Delta County.

The National Wild Turkey Federation provided trophies and medals for top ranking teams and individual winners. In addition, several archery equipment manufacturers donated prizes for tournament winners. First-place teams, and an additional five qualifying teams and the top five male and female archers in each age division, received an invitation to participate in the upcoming NASP National Tournament May 13-14 in Louisville, Ky.

“The state tournament is the culminating event for students and coaches participating in NASP,” said Mary Emmons, DNR coordinator of Archery in the Schools Program for the DNR. “To date nearly 500 schools in Michigan participate in the program.”

The DNR continues to offer free archery instructor certification training for school teachers and equipment grants remain available.

For a complete list of tournament winners and scores, visit the tournament web site at http://nasptournaments.org. For more information on Michigan’s Archery in the Schools Program, visit www.michigan.gov/archery or contact Mary Emmons at 517-241-9477 or emmonsm@michigan.gov.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Pennsylvania Game Commission

Pennsylvania --(Ammoland.com)- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials today announced that 454 students from 17 schools throughout the state will compete in the National Archery in the Schools (NASP) 2011 State Tournament, which will be held on Friday, March 11, at the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility in University Park, Centre County. Of the students registered, 185 are females and 269 are males.

In mid-2010, the Game Commission began coordinating Pennsylvania’s NASP, which helps school districts in Pennsylvania meet physical education curriculum requirements of the state Department of Education, while at the same time introducing them to the world of competitive archery. Last year, 316 students from nearly a dozen school districts participated in the state competition, which was volunteer-run at the time.

“Since last year, Pennsylvania NASP has grown to include an additional 27 schools, and we originally anticipated 300 to 400 archers would participate in this year’s competition,” said Julie Imes, Game Commission Outreach Coordinator, who oversees NASP for the agency. “As a result of the overwhelming response from interested schools in participating in this year’s tournament, we had to add additional positions to accommodate the growing number of participants.”

According to figures from NASP, 30 percent of students who participate in the archery program indicate that they are more interested in other shooting sports since taking the archery program in school. Also, more than half of NASP participants indicated that they wanted to continue target archery and 56 percent wanted to try archery hunting, which has a direct relationship to the Game Commission’s mission to recruit and retain hunters.

“From the Game Commission’s perspective, NASP is a win-win situation,” Imes noted.

The competition will begin at 9 a.m., and consist of five flights followed by an awards presentation. Each archer will shoot two practice ends of five arrows at 10 meters, and then shoot three scoring ends of five arrows (15 arrows total) at 10 meters. After that, each archer will shoot one practice end of five arrows at 15 meters and then shoot three scoring ends of five arrows (15 arrows total) at 15 meters. Archers will have two minutes to shoot each five-arrow end.

At the awards ceremony, which will begin at 4 p.m., one team trophy will be awarded to each of the first- through third-place teams in each division (elementary, middle and high school). Each first- through and third-place team members also will receive a plague.

Individuals will receive trophies for first- through third-place male and female participant categories in each division (elementary, middle and high school), and plaques to fourth- and fifth-place individual males and females in those grades. Also, each participant will receive a certificate and medal.

Overall individual male and female champions will be awarded a black and silver Genesis bow.

The five flights are scheduled to run as follows, along with the schools participating in each flight:

• Flight One of 66 participants (9 a.m. to 10 a.m.): Bangor Area Middle School; Bangor Area High School; New Castle Christian Academy; and Donegal High School.
• Flight Two of 92 participants (10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.): Lathop Street Elementary School; Williams Valley High School; Bangor Area Middle School; DeFranco Elementary School; Bangor Area High School; and New Castle Christian Academy.
• Flight Three of 98 participants (11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.): Halifax High School; Tunkhannock Area Middle School; Blue Ridge High School; Blue Ridge Middle School; Williams Valley High School; DeFranco Elementary School; Bangor Area High School; and Tunkhannock Elementary School.
• Flight Four of 98 participants (12:45 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.): Halifax High School; Choconut Valley Elementary School; Tunkhannock Area Middle School; Blue Ridge High School; Lathop Street Elementary School; New Brighton High School; DeFranco Elementary School; and Tunkhannock Elementary School.
• Flight Five of 100 participants (2 p.m. to 3 p.m.): Halifax High School; Choconut Valley Elementary School; Montrose Middle School; Tunkhannock Middle School; Montrose High School; Blue Ridge High School; Lathop Street Elementary School; DeFranco Elementary School; Bangor Area High School; Laurel High School; and Tunkhannock Elementary School.

Started in Kentucky, in 2002, NASP has spread throughout the United States, and is now reaching around the world. By the end of the 2010-11 school year, nine million students will have gone through NASP lessons in 9,000 schools throughout 47 states, Washington, D.C., Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tournaments are held at the state, national and international levels.

To qualify for the National NASP Tournament, which will be held May 13-14, in Lousiville, Kentucky, teams must meet the following requirements:

• Teams must be first place in the state tournaments in their division; elementary (fourth through sixth grades), middle (seventh through eighth grades), and high school (ninth through twelfth grades); and
• Teams must have 12 or more archers who participated in the state tournament and meet qualifying scores (qualifying score = sum top 12 archers with at least 4 of the opposite gender) as follows:
  • Elementary School qualifying score is 2,700 points;
  • Middle School qualifying score is 2,800 points;
  • High School qualifying score is 2,900 points;
  • The first placing team in each division from every state is qualified regardless of their team score;
  • Male and female individuals placing 1st-5th in elementary division or in the middle and high school divisions.

National Archery in the Schools Program

NASP is a joint venture that partners with state education and wildlife management agencies and archery equipment manufacturers and organizations to promote student education, physical education and participation in the lifelong sport of archery. The program’s focus is to provide international-style archery training in physical education classes in grades four through 12.

For more information on NASP, visit www.archeryintheschools.org. To get NASP started in a Pennsylvania school, contact Julie Imes, at the Game Commission headquarters, at 717-787-4250. Also, “PA NASP” can be found on Facebook by searching for “Pennsylvania NASP.”

The Mason County Michigan WTU Chapter supplied the Mason County Eastern Schools with the necessary equipment and training for the National Archery in the Schools Program. Principal Paul Shoup said, “I know that through your support we will reach many students and they will not only learn about archery but will learn a life skill.” The Mason County Chapter also donated archery equipment to the Mason County Central Middle School and the Upper Elementary School for their NASP. Shown are Middle School students learning how to shoot during the archery unit.

Whitetails Unlimited

Ohio --(Ammoland.com)-A little more than six years ago Whitetails Unlimited announced its support for the National Archery in the Schools Program.

Since then over $100,000 has been donated by WTU from local grassroots activities in support of the program across the United States.

NASP is active in nearly every state, and all states with a resident WTU field director (Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas and Wisconsin) have an active NASP program. Michigan Field Director Jim Kurdziel reflects the kind of support that WTU members and staff have for the program. “NASP is well received by educators and parents, and the students have a ball,” said Kurdziel. “And it’s not just country schools – many big city schools have incorporated the program, and it’s working fantastically every time it’s used. There are state and national tournaments now, which adds even more incentive and excitement for the kids.”

National Archery in the Schools Program is the most successful youth archery program to date, and during this school year more than 20,000 NASP certified instructors are expected to provide training for nearly 2 million young people in more than 9,000 schools. This is an amazing success story, and many local Whitetails Unlimited chapters choose to donate money to support NASP programs in their local schools.

This physical education program made its debut back on March 3, 2002, in Kentucky, and was called Archery: On Target for Life. NASP’s mission is to promote student education through participation in the sport of archery, with the focus being to provide international-style target archery training in physical education classes in grades 4 through 12. Students have an opportunity to shoot at bull’s-eye targets, which are placed in front of an arrow-resistant net in the school gymnasium. The equipment used is state-of-the-art and designed to fit every student. The core content of the program covers the history of archery, safety, shooting techniques, equipment, mental concentration, and self-improvement.

The program curriculum exceeds national physical education standards. Teachers and principals report that the archery program is extremely successful in engaging all students, and they also report improved behavior and attendance on archery days. In addition, it is noted that many students who normally don’t participate in PE class, or who don’t have success with other ‘sports’ are thrilled with archery.

National Archery in the Schools Program certified training is mandatory for all instructors. Of utmost importance to Whitetails Unlimited is the fact that NASP promotes participation in the shooting sports in a safe, educational indoor setting.

About:
Founded in 1982, Whitetails Unlimited is a national nonprofit conservation organization. Our mission is to raise funds in support of education, habitat enhancement and acquisition, and the preservation of the hunting tradition for the benefit of the white-tailed deer and other wildlife. When it comes to the whitetail and its environment, WTU’s degree of professionalism and dedication has earned us the reputation of being the nation’s premier whitetail organization. Visit: www.whitetailsunlimited.com

Pennsylvania Game Commission

HARRISBURG, PA --(Ammoland.com)- Pennsylvania Game Commission officials are encouraging all schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools (NASP) to register for Pennsylvania’s 2011 NASP State Tournament, which will be held on Friday, March 11, at the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility in University Park, Centre County.

While there is no fee to register, the deadline to register is Monday, Feb. 18, and can be done through the NASP link on the Game Commission’s homepage (www.pgc.state.pa.us), or directly through the NASP Tournament website (www.nasptournaments.org).

NASP helps school districts in Pennsylvania meet physical education curriculum requirements of the state Department of Education, while at the same time introducing them to the world of competitive archery.

Last year, more than 300 students from nearly a dozen school districts participated in the NASP® state competition. This year, event organizers are expecting nearly 400 students from 20 school districts.

In mid-2010, the Game Commission began coordinating the program, and has grown the program by working with 27 different school districts to get NASP up and running in their schools. Julie Imes, Game Commission Outreach Coordinator, who oversees NASP for the agency, noted that, according to figures from NASP, 30 percent of students who participate in the archery program indicate that they are more interested in other shooting sports since taking the archery program in school

“Also, more than half of NASP participants indicated that they wanted to continue target archery and 56 percent wanted to try archery hunting, which has a direct relationship to the Game Commission’s mission to recruit and retain hunters,” Imes said. “From the Game Commission’s perspective, NASP is a win-win situation.”

Started in Kentucky, in 2002, NASP has spread throughout the United States, and is now reaching around the world. As of May, there are more than six million students participating in NASP, and an additional 1.5 million more students are expected to join the ranks of NASP this year. There are nearly 7,400 schools participating in NASP in 47 states, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Tournaments are held at the state, national and international levels. The national competition was held in Louisville, Kentucky; and the international event was held at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida.

For more information on NASP, visit www.archeryintheschools.org. To get NASP started in a Pennsylvania school, contact Julie Imes, at the Game Commission headquarters, at 717-787-4250. Also, “PA NASP” can be found on Facebook by searching for “Pennsylvania NASP.”

National Archery in the Schools Program Shooters

Michigan Department of Natural Resources

Michigan --(Ammoland.com)- The Department of Natural Resources and Environment is now accepting online registration for Michigan’s fifth annual State Virtual Archery Tournament.

The tournament, for students enrolled at schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), will take place Feb. 1 through March 6, 2011. However, the registration deadline is Jan. 31, 2011.

To register for the state virtual tournament please go to www.nasptournaments.org and click on Michigan and Log In to register. The 2011 State Virtual Tournament guidelines can be found at www.michigan.gov/dnrarchery.

Teams will be separated by grade level division (4-6, 7-8 and 9-12) and must be comprised of 16 to 24 students with at least five team members of the opposite gender. Schools unable to field a team will be permitted to register students to compete individually.

Team and individual tournament champions will be awarded trophies, medals and other prizes thanks to the generous donations of several archery manufacturers and the National Wild Turkey Federation.

National Archery in the Schools Program

Teams who place first or who obtain a qualifying score as well as individual male and female archers placing in the top five places per division will be invited to participate in the NASP National Tournament. The National tournament will be held May 13-14 in Louisville, Ky. and teams and individuals will be competing for many prizes, including college scholarships.

For more information, contact Mary Emmons at (517) 241-9477; e-mail emmonsm@michigan.gov , or visit the DNR the website at www.michigan.gov/dnrarchery .

The DNRE is committed to the conservation, protection, management, and accessible use and enjoyment of the state’s environment, natural resources, and related economic interests for current and future generations. To learn more, go to www.michigan.gov/dnre.

2010 NASP World Tournament

Orlando Florida --(Ammoland.com)- Whow!!! Whow !! what an investment has been made in the young people of South Africa by attending the 2nd World Championship. National Archery in the Schools Program tournament hosted in the ESPN Worldwide sport Centre in Orlando Florida USA

During October 2009 the first National Competition of the NASP® SA (National Archery in the Schools Program) program was held in Pretoria and the top 10 archers at this competition was invited to attend the World Championship in October 2010 in the USA

All the wheels were put into motion and the fundraising was started to cover the expenses of the archers going to the World Championship – funds were raised and a big thank you to our sponsors and everybody that assisted us – the parents of the young people who covered a large portion of the cost – thank you very much – this was an investment in the visibility of South Africa and our young people and after the tournament – as the world now knows that South Africa is a force to be reckoned with

The young people were from the following schools – 8 from Riecbeeckrand Hoër skool in Randfontein, 1 from Waterstone Collage and 1 from Multi Ed home schooling – 4 coaches and two groups of parents went with the group

Great was the excitement when all arrived at OR Tambo Airport @ 16h00 on Thursday 30 September 2010 – once everybody had checked their luggage and bow cases in pastor Gerhard Pretoruis sent everybody of to the USA after he prayed over the group and the last goodbyes were said and into the plane off to the USA. The reservations for our stay was done at the Caribbean beach resort which is in Disney world – that added to the excitement as the young people would also experience Disney World theme parks, being in America and then most important of all, the NASP® World championship tournament

Once we arrived in the USA, experienced the customs officials, the size of the airport, the underground trains and then onto the bus that will take us to the resort and yes, we are in the USA going to the world championship – a first for South Africa, the young people, the coaches and the parents

Everybody was overwhelmed by the way that everything operated smoothly and we arrived at the resort, were booked into our rooms and the big task of unpacking started with the anticipation of the first visit to a Disney world theme park

The next few days were spent going to the various theme parks, plenty of shopping, going on some thrilling rides and being swept away into fantasy world of Disney, we had to come back to reality and Thursday 7th October we went to the ESPN centre for our first practice session and to get the young people acquainted with the environment that they will be shooting in on Friday 8th October

A practice range was set up outside the hall and our archers got their equipment out and the range officials went thru the various protocols and when our archers started shooting a number of oee, ahaa, good – where are you from? came from the spectators and archers waiting to shoot as our archers were really shooting well and the world started realizing there are competent archers that has arrived at the tournament and that means additional competition

When we entered the hall a bit later everybody had already heard of the new force that has arrived, the people from South Africa – we were warmly greeted and welcomed by all, lapel pins were exchanged between the various archers, many requests were made to pose for photographs with the various teams from the various states and countries and we had the overcome the first concern in the competition – will we be welcomed and how will we be received – with the friendly and warm reception that we got we started relaxing and could focus on the task ahead as we now have to shoot in a competition where 100 archers will shoot at the same time and a total of 947 will be shooting during Friday and Saturday – we were overwhelmed as the biggest competition in South Africa was 30 archers shooting together with a total of 124 Archer competing at the National Competition

The group from Anderson County Middle School Kentucky really made us feel welcome and an instant bond was formed between the two groups – supporting and cheering each other on during the competition – this bond developed during the two days and NASP® SA will now extend an invitation to the Kentucky group to come and compete in South Africa during the Huntex show in April 2011 – this will be an historical event as the National Archery in the Schools program stared 9 years ago in Kentucky and they will also be the first international team that will visit South Africa – although the program has only been active in South Africa for 20 months

Our archers have now all got international rankings and there are a number of them that now have rankings under the top 30, and the top 260 in the world that means we have people in the top 34% of the world archers.

The next national competition in South Africa will be held on 30 October at Riebeeckrand Hoërskool in Randfontein – the top archers in this tournament will be going to the world championships in USA during October 2011 and will also compete in April 2011 against the team from Kentucky USA

Contact Gerhard Lottering 083 306 6366 for more information

Changing lives one arrow at a time.

National Archery in the Schools Program www.archeryintheschools.org

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

ORLANDO, Fla. --(Ammoland.com)- Arkansas’s 2010 state champion archery teams placed high at the recent NASP World Archery Tournament held Oct. 8-9.

Teams from Eagle Mountain Magnet and Batesville Junior High finished in the top five teams.

Eagle Mountain Magnet finished third in the elementary division while Batesville Junior High took fourth in the middle school division.

A team trophy and individual medals were presented to Eagle Mountain archers for their third place finish.

Batesville Junior High teamThe top five grade level winners received plaques and medals denoting their performance in the tournament.

Arkansas Archery Teams At NASP World Tournament

Batesville students recognized for this accomplishment were:

Eagle Mountain shooters

• Celsey Wood (5th place),
• Ronnie Jeffrey (4th place)

Batesville Junior High archers

• Anna Beth Conditt (5th place)
• Tristen Driver (4th place)

Over 1,000 students from Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Canada joined students from 21 states to compete in the tournament. Arkansas Game and Fish Commission sponsors the National Archery in the Schools Program in Arkansas.

Over 750 schools in the state offer archery as part of their physical education curriculum because of this organization.

LR Spirit and 2nd Place Team Winners Hayden Elementary at 2010 NASP World Tournament

2010 NASP World Tournament

Orlando , FL --(Ammoland.com)- Disney’s ® Mickey Mouse is a popular draw! We believe the promise of Mickey’s presence at our 2010 tournament resulted in the largest turnout of winners at our awards ceremony since inception of the NASP® tournaments in 2002.

There were at total of 64 team and individual award categories (more than 300 medals, plaques, trophies, and banners) and youngsters were present to accept 100% of them!

Competition at the 2010 NASP® World Tournament concluded at 12:17pm on Saturday, October 9th. More than 40,000 arrows were launched at 10 and 15 meters by 902 student archers during the event. While the Morrell targets performed wonderfully, a few were sorely tested by students who persisted in shooting every arrow, one after another squarely in the target’s middle! Total participation was 48% higher than the first NASP® world tournament conducted in October 2009. While students in all of NASP®’s 4th-12th grade classes were in attendance, 6th grade boys and girls comprised 24% of the total shooter population. As is our co-gender norm, total participation was 40% female and 60% male.

While NASP® world records remained unbroken at this tournament, two team records were threatened. Winning the Elementary Division with 3,240 of a possible 3,600 points was Chatsworth, Georgia’s Woodlawn Elementary. Their score was only 47 points or 1.5% below the world record set by Kentucky’s Trigg County Intermediate at the 2010 NASP® Nationals in Louisville, Kentucky. Kentucky’s Anderson County Middle school repeated as the world champion with a total score of 3,351, only 27 points -less than 1% off the world record set by Ashville, Alabama at the 2010 Nationals. The high school team award was earned by archers from Irvington, Alabama’s Alma Bryant High with 3,343 points.

Crowned individual world champions at this year’s event were; Female 4th Grade-Megan Aldridge, Male 4thgrade-Cole Rautenberg, Female 5th grade-Natalie Owens, Male 5th grade-Grayson Phillips, Female 6th grade-Morgan Ray, Male 6th grade-Miles Wilson, Female Middle School-Kayla Dowell, Male Middle School-Lucas Roy, Female High School-Stephanie Whisenant, Male High School-Andrew Atkinson.

The overall highest score by a female at the tournament was an amazing 292 posted by Stephanie Whisenant from Ashville High School in Ashville, Alabama. The top overall male score of 294 was posted by middle schooler, Lucas Roy from Southern Middle School in Somerset, KY. NASP®’s world record for both boy and girl archers is a tie at 298 out of a possible 300 points.

Each year one of the most hotly contested prizes is the eagle trophy, ‘Spirit Award’. This award is presented to the team who, in the opinion of the 29 lane officials, exhibited great sportsmanship, enthusiasm, and school spirit. Hayden Elementary from Indiana was the winner. Hayden was given a run for its money by a Henderson, Kentucky team with a very active ‘cow bell’! Hayden Elementary, located in Southern Indiana is no stranger to winning this award. This eagle trophy will join the flock Hayden is building back home in its trophy case!

Exhibiting at the world tournament were NASP® medal-level sponsors: Morrell Targets, Easton Technical Products, the Army National Guard, Field Logic, the National Wild Turkey Federation, and BCY.

As has always been our experience at this tournament Disney’s® staff and volunteers were pleasant, professional, and extremely cooperative. The tournament t-shirt and hat combinations made available by Disney®, was extremely popular with many sizes selling out early in the contest.

We were pleased once again to host many archers, coaches, teachers and parents from Saskatchewan, Canada. These students are always a crowd favorite because of their upbeat and friendly nature. For the first time the tournament was joined by archers from South Africa and the top boy and girl from New Zealand. The South African team linked up with the Anderson County Kentucky team and coaches at hotels, pools, and rumor has it for a few motorcycle try-outs! They got along so well the Kentucky team has been invited to be guests on tour at South Africa’s national NASP® tournament next April. What at treat this will be for some of these Lawrenceburg, KY youngsters, some of which saw the ocean for the first time at last year’s world tournament!

As promised Disney's Mickey Mouse attended the awards ceremony. He arrived to welcome the thousands of archers and their families. Mickey returned for terrific pictures at the end. No matter the age of the person who witnessed this special guest's entrance - smiles were as broad on the 60-year old faces as they were on the 5-year olds.

As with any NASP® tournament, volunteers are always a critical need. Thanks to Steve Robbins from the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission, we were able to post one adult lane official for every 4 archers throughout this event. Nearly 40 volunteers including NASP® board members, teachers, parents, Florida 4-H staff, archery club members, National Bowhunter Education Foundation, and wildlife agency personnel from Kentucky, Virginia, and Florida were on hand to help the students.

Of course the big story behind the story is how these archers, their teammates, and coaches were able to participate in the world tournament. First of course the archers had to qualify for the world tournament. To do this they had to qualify for their country’s national tournament by participating in the state or provincial contest. Then they had to participate in their country’s national tournament. Finally, they had to raise money for travel. Some teams had to raise $30,000-40,000 to make it to the event. A variety of ingenious ways were invented to raise the necessary funds. The common thread in nearly every case was strong community support for the archery students to enjoy an exciting and educational experience. As they grow older, very few of these world participants will ever encounter anyone who has competed at a national or world level.

The 2011 NASP World Tournament will be conducted at the Jostens Center at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida. The tournament will be conducted on October 6, 7, & 8th. To view complete tournament results visit our website at: http://www.nasparchery.com/ . To volunteer at the 2011 NASP nationals or 2011 NASP world tournament just drop us a note. Of course, our non-profit NASP Foundation Inc. is always thrilled to add additional sponsors.

Help us bring archery to students everywhere! During this school year more than 20,000 NASP-certified instructors are expected to provide training for nearly 2 million young people in more than 9,000 schools!

National Archery in the Schools Program

Sparta, WI --(Ammoland.com)- The 2010 tournament is history. 6784 students participated from 33 states once again breaking the record for largest archery tournament in history.

Results from the tournament can be found at: www.archerintheschools.org .

Tournament attendance was also a record. More than 9,000 parents, siblings, fans, and other guests attended the two day affair.

New exhibitors participated this year including the Army National Guard, Plano Manufacturing, and the new National Fly Fishing in the Schools Program. Activities provided by these organizations increased the “fun quotient” at the tournament, while students waited their turn to compete or to wind down afterwards.

Of course exhibitors who have attended every tournament since the inception of NASP such as Mathews Archery, Morrell Targets, Field Logic, Rinehart Targets, Easton, and Electronic Awards were on hand to treat the kids as well!

2011 NASP National Tournament Louisville has been chosen as the site for the 2011 NASP national tournament. We surveyed 2010 registered coaches regarding their preference for dates in 2011 and beyond. Response to a pair of surveys was weak with less than 33% letting us know their feelings. The 2011 NASP National Tournament will be May 13-14 at the KY Fair & Exposition Center.

This is once again Mother’s Day weekend – the 2nd weekend of May.

Qualifying scores will be increased and tournament participation capped at 7,000 students.

National Archery in the Schools Program 2010 U.S. National Tournament

National Archery in the Schools Program

Louisville, Kentucky --(AmmoLand.com)- Alaska sent a group of student archers more than 4,000 miles to Louisville, Kentucky to participate in the 2010 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) national tournament May7-8.

Thirty three states were represented at the tournament. The event was the “largest archery tournament in the world.”

Six thousand seven hundred eighty four students participated in the international style target event. Boys and girls from elementary, middle, and high school teams competed for team and individual awards. At the tournament’s conclusion, the top four boys and four girls competed for $14,000 in college tuition as 5,000 archers, coaches, parents, and fans cheered them on.

The 4th-12th grade student archers shot the same bow and 30 arrows at identical targets from distances of 10 and 15 meters. The NASP Genesis bows are shot without accessories such as sights, stabilizers or release aids. The top score possible is 300. NASP’s world record is 298 points which is co-held by past champions, Kentucky’s Graham Cofield and Michigan’s Jessical Nystrom.

Susan Harrington, an Ohio teacher commented, “The Put-In-Bay Team had an awesome time at the Nationals again this year! Bring back that National Guard bouncy thing next year, that was a huge hit with my kids!

The overall team championship in the elementary division went to Trigg County Elementary from Cadiz, Kentucky with a total team score of 3287. Teams consist of 16-24 boys and girls and are required to be coed. The winner in the middle school Division was Ashville Middle School from Ashville, North Carolina with a score of 3378. NASP started in 21 middle schools in Kentucky in 2002 and quickly grew to more than 120 schools within 13 months. Today, 46 states, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand have enrolled schools in NASP.

The winning team in the High school division was Trigg County High from Cadiz, Kentucky with a score of 3397. Kentucky leads the U.S. with 933 schools enrolled in NASP serving more than 180,000 students in the 4th to 12th grades.

North Dakota teacher Mike Scharnowske offered, “What a great experience! The tournament went like clockwork even with 7,125 archers. My two girls had a great time and the extra day we spent sight-seeing (and making small wagers on the horses). I would definitely recommend the trip to anyone and will go again if the opportunity presents itself.”

NASP is taught in more than 7,350 schools nationwide to more than 1.5 million students annually. Teachers report improvements in students’ ability to concentrate, focus, and follow directions. NASP students report that archery is fun and they look forward to going to school on ‘archery days’.

The National Safety Council reports that archery is safer than all ball sport taught in schools………except table tennis. NASP lessons must be taught during the school day and are usually taught as a part of the physical education curriculum by more than 16,000 NASP® trained teachers.

The National Champion girl and boy archers by grade levels are:

• 4th grade- Cole Rautenberg (279), Sunrise Elementary, White Beaver Lake, Minnesota
  o Sherri Bullock(284), Eubank, Elementary, Eubank, Kentucky
• 5th grade- John Bailey(285), Bay Creek Elementary, Loganville, Georgia
  o Meredith Noland(288) Chickasha Elementary, Chickasha, Oklahoma
• 6th grade-Mary Aldridge(288), Bondurant Elementary, Frankfort, Kentucky
  o Colton Fry(288),Dent-Phelps, Salem, Missouri
• Middle School (7-8 grades) -Shaye Patterson(295),Trigg County Middle, Cadiz, Kentucky
  o Hunter Brown (295),Prestonsburg Middle, Prestonsburg, Kentucky
• High School (9-12th grades)-Stephanie Whisenant (296), Ashville High School, Ashville, Alabama and Steff Bisinger(296), Alburnett Community School, Alburnett, Iowa tied for top female overall honors.

The top High School Division and tournament overall male champion was Nathan Parcell (297), Meade County High School, Brandenburg, Kentucky

NASP awards “SPIRIT” awards to teams exhibiting the best sportsmanship and team support. These went to Michigan’s Hartland High School, Oklahoma’s Chickasha Middle School, and Kentucky’s Shopville, Elementary. A special “20/20 Vision” award was presented to Gene Wilhoit, Exeutive Director, of the Council of Chief State School Officers in Washington, DC. Mr. Wilhoit was the Commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Education and was instrumental in the formation and promotion of archery in the schools in Kentucky.

As has been the case in every NASP National Tournament Morrell Manufacturing provided the target butts and paper faces for this year’s tournament. In fact, Morrell provided an extra 80 targets this year so an additional 2,080 students could participate in the event. Along with Mathews Archery, Easton Technical Products, The Block, National Wild turkey Federation, Archery Trade Association and others, Morrell has been one of the most consistent supporters of NASP®. The National Field Archery Association’s, MJ Rogers located in Yankton, South Dakota once again provided invaluable support to the event by providing equipment and assistance with the indoor archery range.

Tournament staff totaled 137 this year with many of these volunteers representing the Kentucky Department of Fish & Wildlife Resources, United Bowhunters of Kentucky, Kentucky Traditional Bowhunters, Mathews Pros, and NASP coordinators from the U.S. and Canada.

Kentucky State University presented an exhibit at this year’s tournament to help high school students plan their educational future. The tournament’s range supervisor was also provided by Kentucky State University. This was the first year for national sponsorship by the Plano® manufacturing company becoming a Black Ring-level sponsor of NASP.

The Army National Guard was also represented at the tournament as a Bulls Eye-level national sponsor for the first time this year. ARNG provided a three story climbing and obstacle course, special forces trailer, and brought their FLW bass boat and tournament pro anglers.

Many of these archers will next gather for the 2010 NASP World Tournament in the Jostens Center October 6-9, 2010 located at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort near Orlando, Florida. The date and location for the 2011 NASP Nationals will be announced shortly. For more information about NASP or this Tournament please go to: www.archeryintheschools.org

Daryn Benish, 18, of Prairie du Chien High School, displays excellent form during the Fifth annual NASP Wisconsin State Tournament. WDNR Photo

Wisconsin DNR

WISCONSIN RAPIDS --(AmmoLand.com)- A record 635 archers from 18 schools converged on East Junior High School in Wisconsin Rapids for the fifth annual National Archery in the Schools Program state tournament.

That makes it the largest archery tournament ever held in Wisconsin. Participation at this year’s event, held in late March, was five times the number of competitors who attended the inaugural tournament in 2006.

“The more we can get kids into archery, the more skills and interests they develop, and the more time they spend outside connecting with the natural world – important preparation for becoming the conservation stewards of tomorrow,” said DNR Secretary Matt Frank.

Shooting bows with their fingers – no trigger releases are allowed – and without any kind of sighting device – not even a pencil mark on the bow – some of the students were able to stick one arrow after another in the 10-point bulls-eye, a circle no more than three or four inches in diameter.

“The skill of some of these young archers is a wonder to behold,” said Dan Schroeder, a natural resources educator with the state Department of Natural Resources and the Wisconsin state coordinator for NASP. “They are very accomplished archers. It’s gratifying to see these kids get better and better with each passing year.”

The rings surrounding the bull’s-eye have point values from 9 to 1 moving away from center. Shooting three sets of five arrows from 10 meters and three sets from 15 meters, the highest possible score, if all 30 arrows find the center mark, is 300.

The male tournament champion was Jason Marek from Bloomer Middle School who shot a 284.

Michelle Secora, De Pere High School, and Teresa Zoller from Manitowoc High School each shot a 282 to become the 2010 NASP female state co-champions.

The first place schools in their divisions were Spring Hill Elementary, Wisconsin Dells; Osseo Middle School; and Cadott High School.

Betty Holler is a parent volunteer for the Cadott team. She said the program is in its fourth year at Cadott. The students are so enthused, she said, they engage in community service projects to raise funds so the team can compete at state.

Several DNR conservation wardens worked the tournament, assisting with range safety and acting as referees in cases where an arrow’s point score was a close call. But their involvement in NASP runs much deeper. Several – like wardens Kelly Crotty and Tim Price – are NASP-certified teacher instructors, which meant taking a three-day course. They in turn teach the eight-hour course teachers must complete to become basic archery instructors in their schools.

Surveys show the program is incredibly popular with teachers, who give it a 94 percent approval rating. Of the student archers, 77 percent had no prior experience with archery before NASP came to their school.

“One of the things we find is that it helps with attendance,” said Eric Boson, who coaches the Marshfield High School team. “It’s one of those things kids don’t want to miss in school.”

Another teacher and coach, Brent Seamans, transferred to Prairie du Chien from a school district in Alaska where he became a NASP-certified instructor. One of the beauties of the program is that it is exactly the same, with the same equipment and training, no matter what state or country it takes place.

NASP organizers are careful to separate NASP from any programs designed to teach bow hunting. NASP is about target shooting only. Still, target shooting offers a gateway to bow hunting. Surveys show that more than half of these student archers will continue launching arrows after graduating from the program, some focusing on target shooting, others on hunting.

For the point of view of state wildlife officials, either of these outcomes is a benefit, given that a federal excise tax on all archery equipment helps fund state wildlife programs.

More importantly, the growing popularity of NASP offers the prospect of slowing or stopping the continued national decline in the number of licensed hunters and anglers. The “conservation model” in this country is largely dependent on license fees and other forms of financial support from hunters and fishermen. These outdoors lovers form a critical constituency for habitat restoration and land conservation.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: Dan Schroeder – (920) 740 – 7528

Elementary Team scores
First: 2942 – Spring Hill Elementary, Second: 2853 – Portage John Muir Elementary, Third: 2661 – Superior Elementary.

Middle School scores
First: 3132 – Osseo Middle School, Second:3120 – Spring Hill Middle School,Third: 2858 – Superior Middle School

High School team scores
First: 3210 – Cadott High School, Second: 3189 – De Pere High School, Third: 3168 – Osseo-Fairchild High School.

Individual Scores Overall

Female:

• First: 282 – Michelle Secora, DePere High School, and Teresa Zoller, Manitowoc High School
• Second: 280 – Katie Coughlin, 280-Spring Hill Middle school
• Third: 279 – Andrea Roth, Cadott High School

Male:

• First: 284 – Jason Marek, Bloomer Middle School
• Second: 279 – Devon Wendt, Cadott High School
• Third: 278 – Garrett Lohr, Portage High School

High school seniors who write an essay that answers the question, "How has the National Archery in the Schools Program changed my life?" can win a $1,500 first place scholarship...

Remington Outdoor Foundation

Madison, NC - -(AmmoLand.com)- The Remington Outdoor Foundation has partnered with the National Archery in the Schools Program® to offer $3,000 in scholarships to college-bound students who are registered to participate in the 2010 NASP® National Tournament.

“For the Remington Outdoor Foundation, offering NASP® scholarships falls right in line with our mission to support our partners’ efforts to share hunting and target shooting traditions with youth, women and other participants,” said Jim Moore, president of Remington Outdoor Foundation.

“We’re encouraged by the fact that a significant percentage of NASP® students reported they are more interested in other shooting sports, including hunting, since taking the archery program in school.”

High school seniors who write and submit a 500- to 1,000-word essay that answers the question, “How has the National Archery in the Schools Program® changed my life?” can win a $1,500 first place scholarship while second and third place winners will receive $1,000 and $500 respectively to help pay for their college education.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students must be registered to participate in the 2010 NASP® National Tournament, and winners will be announced at that event. For information about the world’s largest archery tournament, which will be hosted May 7-8 in Louisville, Ky., visit www.archeryintheschools.org .

The deadline to submit essays and completed applications is April 30. Students can find the scholarship guidelines and application form and submit their entry at Remington Outdoor Foundation High School Essay Contest or email to info@nasparchery.com. Students and instructors can receive NASP program updates and information by visiting NASP®’s Facebook Fan page.

If you know a college-bound high school senior who is participating in the 2010 NASP® National Tournament, encourage him or her to write an essay and possibly win a scholarship.

About Remington Outdoor Foundation
Remington Outdoor Foundation, which was founded in January 2009 as a nonprofit 501 (C) (3), supports the efforts of its partners to share hunting, target shooting and other outdoor traditions with youth, women and other participants while emphasizing safety, training and ethics. Remington Outdoor Foundation also upholds conservation principles through assisting partnership work on habitat enhancement, wildlife research and management projects. For more information, visit http://remingtonoutdoor.org/.

About National Archery in the Schools Program
NASP® provides international style archery training in physical education classes for grades 4 – 12. What began as a pilot program in 21 Kentucky middle schools in 2002 has grown to 5,500 schools in 46 states, four Canadian provinces and Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Since its inception, 5.2 million students have received training. For more information, visit https://archeryintheschools.org/.

West Virginia Archery in Schools Program's Proud Students

West Virginia DNR

CHARLESTON, W.Va. --(AmmoLand.com)- The West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) will host its fifth annual West Virginia Archery in the Schools (AIS) Program State Tournament at the Charleston Civic Center on Saturday, March 27, 2010, according to DNR Director Frank Jezioro.

This year’s tournament should be the single largest indoor youth archery tournament in the history of the state with 540 students participating, representing 41 West Virginia schools.

“Since our pilot program began in the fall of 2004, there has been a tremendous amount of interest from schools around the state,” said Jezioro.

“From just a handful of participating schools the first year, we now have 219 participating schools in the program. It is estimated 40,000 students have gone through the Archery in the Schools Program in just six years, making it the DNR’s largest and fastest growing educational program.”

Students from 51 divisional teams, representing the following 41 separate schools, will participate in this year’s tournament:

• Beckley-Stratton Middle
• Guyan Valley Middle
• Ripley High
• Buckhannon Upshur Middle
• Harts Middle
• Riverside High
• Buckhannon Upshur High
• Heritage Christian
• Scott High
• Buffalo Elementary
• Hurricane High
• Shady Spring Middle
• Cabell Midland High
• John Marshall High
• Sherard Middle
• Cameron Middle
• Kenna Elementary
• Sissonville Middle
• Cameron High
• Lincoln County High
• South Charleston Middle
• Chapmanville Middle
• Madison Middle
• Summers County High
• Chapmanville Regional High
• Meadow Bridge Elementary
• Summersville Elementary
• Clendenin Elementary
• Moundsville Middle
• Summersville Middle
• East Bank Middle
• Mountain View Christian
• Tucker County High
• East Hardy High
• Nellis Elementary
• WV School for the Blind
• Elkview Middle
• Nicholas County High
• WV School for the Deaf
• Fayetteville High
• Ripley Middle

“We at the DNR are very encouraged about the success of the Archery in the Schools Program,” said Program Coordinator Jerry Westfall.

“The Program provides students an exciting activity, giving them a life-skill, and possibly leading to future indoor or outdoor archery endeavors. DNR also recognizes the contributions of several wildlife and archery organizations and a host of volunteers and interested parents. Everyone is encouraged to come out and see how successful this tournament, and the Archery in the Schools Program, has become.”

The tournament will be held in the Charleston Civic Center Saturday, March 27, from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m., and will be followed at 4 p.m. by the awards ceremony. Entrance to this year’s tournament at the Civic Center is $5 Adult (18 and older), $3 Children (6-17 years), and is free for children under 6 years of age.

Tournament competition is open only to schools that have received the DNR-sponsored AIS training. For more information on the WV Archery in the Schools Program or to attend the next training, visit our Web site at www.wvdnr.gov/archery.

National Archery in the Schools Program

PERRY, Ga. – -(AmmoLand.com)- While Woodlawn Elementary School (Chatsworth, Ga.) may have captured the highest overall score at the 4th Annual National Archery in the Schools Program State Tournament on Feb. 12 at the Perry Fairgrounds and Agricenter, all of those who participated showed exceptional skill.

The tournament, coordinated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, is an annual event open to all state schools enrolled in the National Archery in the Schools Program.

Woodlawn’s score of 3,145 also won the elementary division and qualified them for an automatic berth to the NASP National Tournament scheduled for May 7-8 in Louisville, Ky. Nearly 6,000 student archers are expected to compete at the national level, making the competition the largest archery tournament in the world.

Morgan County Middle School (Madison) won the middle school division with a 2,852 score and Bishop Hall Charter School (Thomasville) won the high school division with a score of 2,981. Those three schools, along with nine others in the state, qualify to join schools from across the country to vie for scholarship money and prizes at the national tournament.

Dodge County Middle School’s Joshua Peterson won a $1,000 college scholarship by posting the highest overall individual male score with a 286 (out of 300). Woodlawn Elementary’s Morgan Ray won top individual female honors and a $1,000 scholarship with her score of 277.

Individual Division winners (male and female) include:

? Elementary School – Male: Jordan Priest (Woodlawn Elementary) won with a score of 271.

? Elementary School – Female: Morgan Ray (Woodlawn Elementary) won with a score of 277.

? Middle School – Male: Joshua Peterson (Dodge County Middle) won with a score of 286.

? Middle School – Female: Shelby Carter (Marion County Middle) won with a score of 251.

? High School – Male: Josh Broxton (Miller County High) won with a score of 280.

? High School – Female: Ariel Beheeler (Bishop Hall High) won with a score of 258.

Other schools which qualified for NASP Nationals based on their score were: Bay Creek Elementary (Loganville), Youth Elementary (Loganville), Lake Park Elementary (Albany), Lee County Elementary (Leesburg), Funston Elementary (Funston), Dodge County Middle (Eastman), East Laurens Middle School (East Dublin), Marion County Middle School (Buena Vista) and Miller County High School (Colquitt).

More than 450 archers throughout the state participated in the annual state tournament. Archers shot three rounds of five arrows each from 10 and 15 meters. Teams of 16-24 students from each school competed in three separate divisions: elementary (4th-6th grade), middle (7th-8th grade) and high (9th-12th grade).

For a complete list of winning archers and schools, visit www.georgiawildlife.com (select “Education” “Shooting Sports Programs” and “NASP”).

The 4th annual state tournament was sponsored by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Resources Division, the Georgia Wildlife Federation, Mathews, Inc. and Morrell Targets.

More on NASP
NASP is an in-school archery curriculum that meets all education department standards. Only schools that are certified in NASP through the Georgia Department of Natural Resources are qualified to compete in the State Tournament. Schools in nearly 70 counties in Georgia are NASP certified.

The program promotes instruction in international-style target archery to improve educational performance and participation in shooting sports. Research has shown that the program, administered through a minimum two-week course during the school year, improves class attendance and behavior. NASP universal fit bows make it possible for students of all sizes and genders to succeed in archery while raising self-esteem levels and improving hand-eye coordination during physical activity.

NASP is taught in 46 states as well as Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. To date, more than five million students have participated in the program.

For more information on assisting schools bound for the NASP National Tournament with funding or NASP in Georgia, call Jennifer Pittman at (770) 918-6416 or e-mail jennifer.pittman@gadnr.org.

West Virginia DNR

West Virginia - -(AmmoLand.com)- The West Virginia Division of Natural Resource’s Wildlife Resources Section (DNR) will host an Archery in the Schools (AIS) Program training Jan 19-20, 2010, at the Gander Mountain Store in South Charleston, according to Jerry Westfall, DNR’s AIS Program Coordinator.

“Gander Mountain has always been committed to getting our youth involved in the outdoors,” said Greg Walls, Store Manager for Gander Mountain. “We’ve seen the success and growth of the DNR’s AIS Program with the number of kids coming into our archery department, and we are happy to be assisting schools in the Kanawha Valley, and elsewhere, by hosting this training.”

The AIS Program is the DNR’s largest and fastest growing educational program. Since its inception in 2004, approximately 40,000 students have been introduced to archery as part of their physical education (PE) classes in 199 West Virginia schools. The program teaches Olympic-style, target archery in both public and private school’s Grade 4-12 PE classes.

“However, in order for schools to have the AIS Program, they must first have a certified instructor – preferably a PE instructor or coach who will introduce as many kids as possible to the joys of target archery,” said Westfall. “The DNR has about four trainings a year; and, because class size is limited to 25, training slots are highly sought after. To ensure a training slot, we encourage PE teachers and coaches to apply as soon as possible, before the Jan. 8 deadline.”

As an added incentive, teachers taking this training may be eligible to receive Continuing Education Hours (CEH’s).

Please note this training will cost $25 for all school employees and $50 for non-school employees. This fee will be paid to WVDNR – Archery in the Schools Program (via check, money order, or exact currency only) during the first morning of the training.

To register for the AIS training at the Gander Mountain Store in South Charleston, please call Billie Shearer at 304-558-2771; e-mail billieshearer@wvdnr.gov.

For general information on the AIS Program, you can visit the DNR’s AIS Web site at www.wvdnr.gov/archery or call DNR’s AIS Program Coordinator Jerry Westfall at 304-558-2771; email jerrywestfall@wvdnr.gov.

Muzzy Archery

Cartersville, GA - -(AmmoLand.com)- Each year Muzzy Products Corporation bestows its prestigious Tall Man Award to someone who “stands tall” among his or her peers by contributing to the community and going above and beyond to promote and protect the future of archery and bowhunting.

This year Muzzy is proud to present the award to Jay McAninch, chief executive officer/president of the Archery Trade Association (ATA), at the 2010 ATA show in Columbus, Ohio, on January 14 at 10 a.m.

Muzzy Tall Man Award Recipient Jay McAninch

The ATA has promoted archery and bowhunting throughout the country since 1953, and McAninch has held his position with the organization since 2000.

“I am extremely honored to receive this award,” McAninch says. “The list of previous Tall Man recipients includes people that I admire. I’m especially humbled that the award is presented by Michele and her family who have worked so hard to make Muzzy a highly respected company and a longstanding influence on archery and the industry.”

Since becoming president of the ATA, McAninch has steered the ATA toward establishing a solid foundation and process for growing the sports of archery and bowhunting.

“We decided to focus all dollars on state wildlife agencies to put staff in place and to help build programs and facilities for promoting archery and bowhunting throughout the country.”

With McAninch’s guidance, the ATA’s efforts have produced a superb outcome. State agencies are now supporting organizations such as the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) and the Explore Bowhunting Program, which work to bring archery into the communities.

“We are working toward a future where kids in urban communities will have the same opportunity to participate in archery as they do to play football, baseball, basketball, gymnastics and other sports.”

In appreciation for all of McAninch’s contributions to the world of archery, Muzzy congratulates him on being selected as the 2009 Tall Man Award recipient.

For more information on Muzzy Products, call 1-866-387-9307, or check out www.muzzy.com.

About:
At Muzzy t’s about attitude. Some are hunters and some are gatherers. We are hunters. Hunting is one of man’s most basic instincts. It is at the core of our being. Undeniable. Some learn to gather, but we were born to hunt. The first tools of early man were the spear, not the hoe. It’s about understanding nature, the world as it is, and our place in that world. And it’s about acceptance. Accepting the natural challenge of taking a wild animal on its own turf using intelligence, some sharp tools and little else. We accept it because are are more than hunters, we are bowhunters. Different. A breed apart. An elite cadre of the hunting world with the drive to test our skills in nature’s own arena. It is who we are. And we are bad to the bone.

Eagle Mountain Magnet Archers

Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

ORLANDO, Fla. --(AmmoLand.com)- In less than a year, Eagle Mountain Magnet School’s archery team went from nonexistent to world champion. But doing well in archery competitions is old hat for this rookie team.

The team was formed one month before the Arkansas National Archery in the Schools Program’s state championship in February, where it took second place. The team finished eleventh at the national competition in Louisville, Ky., in May. The world competition, Oct. 9-10 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., was the icing on the cake.

Coach Susan Parker is as new to archery as many of the students she introduced to the sport. She said bows used in the competition are different from standard hunting bows, although some of her students are bowhunters.

The fledgling team practiced weekends, and before and after school. They even practiced through the summer.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission provides instruction and safety training to team coaches and helps them with the grant process to pay for the official bows, targets and arrows. In its first year, the program has grown to include more than 26,180 students in 296 Arkansas schools, and it shows no sign of slowing.

“We have 12 schools waiting in the wings for grant money to get the equipment for next year,” said Curtis Gray, ANASP coordinator for the AGFC. “The program’s growth is just outstanding. And now we already have a world-champion team. I’d like to take credit for the success, but those kids are the ones who deserve the recognition. They really worked hard to achieve this success.”

For more information on ANASP and how to form a team, contact Gray, (501) 223-6437.

1st NASP World Archery Tournament

National Archery in the Schools Program

Sparta, WI --(AmmoLand.com)- In 2001, during the 6-month planning phase of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) one of the items on our wish list was to attract “Disney” as a partner. We felt if NASP could attract the interest of Disney that would be a sign of the program’s success.

During the winter of 2008 Kevin Stay at Mathews was contacted by a Disney official, Greg Waldron with a question about his hunting bow. Of course no one can talk to Kevin, our NASP Vice-President for more than a few minutes before they will hear about the program. Greg was impressed with NASP®’s popularity and it’s Mission to help student.

A few months later this encounter resulted in a meeting at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports.

During our first planning meeting we agreed to design a NASP range at Disney’s Wilderness Resort, train Disney cast members to present NASP-style archery lessons, and develop a 100 minute archery lesson for resort guests. We also began discussions about establishing a NASP® tournament at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports® complex.

A bit more than a year later we announced, at the 2009 NASP® National tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, that Disney and NASP would join forces to conduct NASP®’s first world tournament. This was only 5 months notice for schools that might like to participate and only weeks remained in most states’ school year to make plans, raise travel money, and keep teams practicing over the summer. NASP® also had to develop an on-line registration system to allow teams to register, select flight times, and pay registration fees. Registration for the tournament opened two days after Labor Day in September and closed on September 23. NASP® offered partial travel grants to teams in South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada to help them make the trip.

The first NASP® World Tournament was conducted indoors at the new Josten’s Center on October 9th and 10th at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports® complex. A total of 609 archery students from 18 states and Saskatchewan participated in the 2-day event. The most heavily represented grade levels at the tournament were grades 5th and 6th. There were even 3, 3rd grade students competing, with special written permission from their Principals to “shoot up”. Proving once again that NASP® is an important co-gender activity, 44% of the participants were female.

Many of the student archers, coaches, teachers, and parents reported having a terrific time at this first NASP® World Tournament. Carly Hedden, an 8th grade participant said, “It was an honor to be invited to compete with top Archers around the world. She said that participating in such a hi-profile event and visiting Disney were “…dreams come true for me.” Carly’s mother, Susan commented that, “NASP® Archery teaches discipline and sportsmanship in a positive environment which are principles that I want my child to learn and live by.”

Disney was a terrific host of the event helping to set-up and tear down, providing a facility coordinator, first aid, and ushers throughout the tournament. Of course the first aid station was the least active place in the building because of archery’s terrific safety record! Nearly all the young archers were among the 4,565 students that participated in the 2009 NASP® National Tournament held in May, 2009. Several of the students and their parents including Kevin, Cindy, and Cody Able from Lawrenceburg, KY were very impressed with the quality of the Disney facilities and the “niceness” of the Disney cast members. It was obvious this tournament-inspired trip to Disney World® was a huge hit with many of the students, many of which had never been out-of-state, on an airplane, visited Disney before, and for those who drove over to Daytona Beach, had never seen the ocean. Teacher, Eric Sowers at the Providence School in Nicholasville, KY reported, “Our kids loved the shooting facility and the professionalism. The tournament site had them in awe. You should have seen their faces when they saw the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. They truly had a once in a lifetime experience.” Nathan Parcell of Brandenburg, Kentucky enjoyed meeting archers from around the country he has become acquainted with and to make new archer friends.

As is NASP®’s norm awards were presented to the top three teams in the elementary, middle, and high school divisions. Again, as is NASP®’s standard, every archer used the same bow (without sights, stabilizers, or release aids), the same arrow, and shot 15 arrows at both 10 and 15 meters. Individual awards were presented to 1st-5th placing boys AND girls in 4, 5, and 6th grades and the middle school and high school divisions. The overall boy and girl champions posted identical scores of 293 (out of 300). The young lady World Champion was Kentucky’s Danielle Reddick from Trigg county High School. Two young men achieved identical scores of 293. However, Alabama’s Joshua Clarke was beat out by Michigan’s Steven Schram for overall top male archer in the World, based upon a higher number of “bulls-eyes”. Six young archers were involved in a fast-paced, tie-breaking “shoot-off” immediately preceding the awards ceremony. The 1st placing teams in each division and individual winners are listed below.

• 1st Place Elementary Team – Eagle Mountain Magnet – Batesville, AR
• 1st Place Middle School Team – Anderson County Middle School – Lawrenceburg, KY
• 1st Place High School Team – Meade County High School – Brandenburg, KY
• 1st Place 4th Grade Female – Riley Patton, Loganville, GA
• 1st Place 4th Grade Male – Jonathan Gallagher, Nancy, KY
• 1st Place 5th Grade Female – Kattie Raphun, Irvington, AL
• 1st Place 5th Grade Male – Jordan Campbell, Adairville, KY
• 1st Place 6th Grade Female – Sarah Shipley, Cadiz, KY
• 1st Place 6th Grade Male – Cameron Peyton, Lawrenceburg, KY
• 1st Place Middle School Female – Shaye Patterson, Cadiz, KY
• 1st Place Middle School Male – Steven Schram, Bark River, MI
• 1st Place High School Female – Danielle Reddick, Cadiz, KY
• 1st Place High School Male – Joshua Clarke, Irvington, AL

1st NASP World Archery Tournament (Photo-by-Charlie-Baglan)

More than 300 trophies, plaques, and medals were awarded to the students. Additionally, thanks to the generosity of several NASP® supporters, some winners received bows from Mathews Archery, arrows and repair kits from Easton Technical Products, targets from Morrell Manufacturing, and bow cases from the Genesis Outlet. One of the most hotly contested awards at NASP® tournaments are the “Spirit Awards” presented to one school in each of the three divisions. This award, a resin Bald Eagle, is presented to teams judged by a committee of volunteers for showing terrific enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and school spirit. Teams that win these awards usually dress in special archery “uniforms”, sing, change, and carry their school’s banner. It is always fun to see how the kids “spirit-up” whenever an official-looking NASP® person walks by their team carrying a clipboard! One of most spirited teams wore the new NASP® uniform shirt made by EOTAC. The elementary division was won by Indiana’s Hayden Elementary, their 2nd year to take home the eagle. Kentucky’s Anderson County Middle and Meade County High Schools were spirited, great sports, and colorful enough to also win Spirit Awards.

Nearly forty states and provinces will conduct annual tournaments among their NASP® schools this coming January-April in 2010. While vying for terrific prizes and notoriety among their peers, they also will be competing to see who will be among nearly 6,000 students at the NASP® national tournament scheduled for May 7th & 8th in Louisville, Kentucky. See you there!

West Virginia DNR

BECKLEY, W.Va. –-(AmmoLand.com)- The next instructor training for the popular Archery in the Schools Program (AIS) will be held Dec. 8 and 9 at JBC Archery Center in Shady Spring (near Beckley), according to Jerry Westfall, AIS Program Coordinator for the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR).

“It has been quite some time since we held a training session in the Beckley area,” said Westfall. “And thanks to the cooperation of the JBC Archery Center and owner Chuck Frye, we can once again provide AIS training to area physical education teachers and coaches, as well as others from around the state. We are very excited about the potential expansion of the AIS program by involving schools not yet participating. Based on the interest we have received so far, and the number of local schools, this training should be quite successful.”

The AIS Program is the DNR’s largest and fastest growing educational program. Since its inception in 2004, more than 35,000 students have been introduced to archery as part of their physical education (PE) classes in 199 West Virginia schools. The program teaches Olympic-style target archery in both public and private school’s grade four-12 PE classes.

“But in order for schools to have the AIS Program, they must first have a certified instructor – preferably a PE instructor or coach who will introduce as many kids as possible to the joys of target archery,” said Westfall. “The DNR has about four trainings a year; and, because class size is limited to 25, training slots are highly sought after. To ensure a training slot, we encourage PE teachers and coaches to apply as soon as possible.” The deadline to sign up for the training is Nov. 25. As an added incentive, teachers taking this training may be eligible to receive Continuing Education Hours (CEHs).

This training will cost $25 for all school employees and $50 for non-school employees. This fee will be paid to WVDNR – Archery in the Schools Program via check, money order, or exact currency during the first morning of the training.

To register for the AIS training at JBC Archery in Shady Spring, please call Billie Shearer at 304-558-2771; e-mail billieshearer@wvdnr.gov. For general information on the AIS Program, you can visit the DNR’s AIS Web site at www.wvdnr.gov/archery or call DNR’s AIS Program Coordinator Jerry Westfall at 304-558-2771; e-mail jerrywestfall@wvdnr.gov.

NASP Archery team wearing the EOTAC Shooting Sports Polo Shirt

National Archery in the Schools Program

West Columbia, SC – -(AmmoLand.com)- EOTAC, a subsidiary of Freedom Group, Inc and a company that designs and manufactures high quality tactical, outdoor and shooting sports clothing has been selected to supply team jerseys for the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). In order to further support this dynamic youth sports program, EOTAC has committed to provide a portion of the proceeds back to NASP.

The National Archery in Schools Program annually impacts more than one million fourth – twelfth grade students through an in school archery curriculum. It further compliments youth with a competitive program that culminates with a national tournament in Louisville, KY and a world tournament to be held in October at Disney’s Wide World of Sports®. The most recent NASP National Tournament featured 4,565 student archers, the largest gathering of competitive archers in recorded history.

NASP® is an organization that works with 46 state agencies to implement an archery training curriculum in over 5,000 schools in the U.S. and has expanded to Canada, New Zealand, South Africa and Australia. Importantly, research shows that over 30% of NASP® participants express a desire for deeper participation in shooting sports.

“We are honored to supply high quality uniforms for NASP® participants and coaches as we believe that they are the most dynamic youth participation program focused on outdoor sports, said Fernando Coelho, EOTAC President. “We understand that NASP® emphasizes overall life development of these young people and feel that sharp, high quality uniforms can contribute to that goal”, continued Coelho.

“We are pleased to have a well organized, high quality uniform program for NASP® participants”, said Roy Grimes, NASP® President. “We believe this will give our archers every opportunity to have the same look and feel other high end school athletic teams”.

The joint program was coordinated by the Remington Outdoor Foundation to insure that both organizations maximize objectives. The Remington Outdoor Foundation will also be coordinating other programs to further support NASP®.

For more information about the jersey program, please log on to http://nasp.eotac.com.

About EOTAC
EOTAC taps decades of real world military, law enforcement, and private sector experience to produce the highest quality tactical and discreet garments available to operators today. Offering both traditional and next gen tactical clothing, EOTAC designs innovate without sacrificing utility or comfort. Leveraging outdoor industry experience and end user feedback, EOTAC continually refines the capabilities of its product line maintaining a high level of excellence in every garment offered.

About NASP
NASP® began in March 2002 in 21 pilot schools and has grown to more than 5000 schools in the elementary, middle, and high school levels. This school year more than a million students will learn this lifetime skill from their physical education teachers in schools across the U.S., Canada, and beyond. For more information, please log onto: archeryintheschools.org

National Archery in the Schools Program

Orlando, Florida --(AmmoLand.com)- The Magic Kingdom, Blizzard Beach, and Typhoon Lagoon are mainstays of the family vacation destination at Disney’s Wide World of Sports®. Millions of families and individuals come to Orlando, Florida for the dream vacation of a lifetime. On October 8-11, 2009 the first National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®)” 1st World Tournament” will be conducted at the Disney’s Wide World of Sports® Jostens® Center. NASP® expects up to 2,000 participants from the program’s elementary, middle, and high schools.

The National Archery in the Schools Program is inviting teams from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa to compete in the first world NASP archery tournament. Teams and individuals who qualified for the 2009 NASP® national tournament held in May 2009 in Louisville, Kentucky are eligible to participate at the World Tournament.

Those teams that qualified for the 2009 NASP® National Tournament or placed first in their state can send from 12-24 participants four of whom must be the opposite gender. Elementary school teams with a score of 2500, Middle school teams with a score of 2600, and High school teams with a score of 2700 and any individuals who were on a team that qualified in their state or provincial tournament are eligible.

There will only be two archers in each lane per flight, one each from different schools. If archers share bows they must be registered in different flights. Flight times will begin at 1:00pm EST on October 8 and the tournament will conclude with the World Awards Ceremony at noon on October 11, 2009. Each archer will be provided five practice shots before shooting at the 10 and 15 meter distances. Archers may practice in vacant lanes during competitive flights as space is available.

World Tournament registration is available on-line. Selection of flight times and dates will occur immediately to facilitate travel plans for teams and individuals. Pre-registration will begin on August 26 at 8am EST and close on September 23rd 5pm EST. To register on-line visit www.archeryintheschools.org Registration fee is twenty five ($25) per archer payable on-line at the time of registration. Fees are not refundable. Shooting times and dates will be available on a first come first serve basis and until they are labeled “FULL.” The team coach will receive immediate confirmation of the date and requested shooting time. Each registrant will receive a “1st World NASP® Tournament” souvenir t-shirt.

Disney World has provided a special “NASP® World Tournament Package” for participants, families and fans. This package can include lodging and tickets to Disney theme parks. NASP® attendees are encouraged to book flights, travel, and accommodations as early as possible. We are expecting up to 2,000 archers and at least that many coaches, fans, families and officials.

NASP® began in March 2002 in 21 pilot schools and has grown to more than 5000 schools in the elementary, middle, and high school levels. This school year more than a million students will learn this lifetime skill from their physical education teachers in schools across the U.S., Canada, and beyond.

For more information email: jgauthier@nasparchery.com
Visit: www.archeryintheschools.org

About:
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is a joint venture between state departments of Education and Wildlife. Several archery equipment manufacturers and organizations are also partners (listed below). The program promotes student education, physical education and participation in the life long sport of Archery. The program’s focus is to provide International Style Target Archery training in physical education classes grades 4 – 12

National Archery in the Schools Program

Charleston, West Virginia - -(AmmoLand.com)- The Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR), in cooperation with Kanawha County Board of Education, will host an Archery in the Schools (AIS) Program instructor training on August 11 and 12 at Kenna Elementary School in Charleston, according to Jerry Westfall, DNR’s AIS Program Coordinator.

“It has been quite some time since an AIS Program training was held in the Kanawha Valley,” said Westfall. “Thanks to the cooperation we have received from the Kanawha County Board of Education, we can once again provide AIS training to area physical education teachers and coaches, as well as others from around the state. We are very excited about the potential expansion of the AIS program by involving schools not yet participating. Based on the interest we have received so far, and the number of local schools, this training should be quite successful.”

The AIS Program is the DNR’s largest and fastest growing educational program. Since its inception in 2004, more than 35,000 students have been introduced to archery as part of their PE classes in 183 West Virginia schools. The program teaches Olympic-style, target archery in both public and private school’s Grade 4-12 PE classes. “But in order for schools to have the AIS Program, they must first have a certified instructor – preferably a PE instructor or coach who will introduce as many kids as possible to the joys of target archery,” said Westfall. “The DNR has about four trainings a year; and, because class size is limited to 25, training slots are highly sought after. As an added incentive, teachers taking this training may be eligible to receive Continuing Education Hours (CEH’s).”

Please note this training will cost $25 for all school employees and $50 for non-school employees. This fee will be paid to WVDNR – Archery in the Schools Program (via check, money order, or exact currency only) during the first morning of the training. The deadline for signing up for the training is July 31.

To register for the AIS training at Kenna Elementary, please call Billie Shearer at 304-558-2771; e-mail billieshearer@wvdnr.gov. For more information on the AIS Program, you can visit the DNR’s AIS Web site at www.wvdnr.gov/archery or call DNR’s AIS Program Coordinator Jerry Westfall at 304-558-2771; e-mail jerrywestfall@wvdnr.gov.

National Archery in the Schools Program

Wheeling, West Virginia - -(AmmoLand.com)- An Archery in the Schools (AIS) training session for instructors will be hosted by the Wildlife Resources Section of the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources (DNR) July 21-22, 2009, at the Cabela’s store near Wheeling, W.Va., according to Jerry Westfall, DNR’s AIS Program Coordinator.

“Cabela’s has always expressed an interest in assisting the DNR with getting more schools involved in the AIS Program, especially those in the northern panhandle,” said Westfall. “The support we’ve received from Cabela’s has been tremendous and I can’t think of a better place to host this training. Incidentally, instructors may also find Cabela’s a fascinating place to shop for gift ideas after the training – considering it is one of the largest sporting goods stores in the state.”

The AIS Program is DNR’s largest and fastest growing educational program. Since its inception in 2004, more than 35,000 students have been introduced to archery as part of their physical education (PE) classes in 183 West Virginia schools. The program teaches Olympic-style, target archery in both public and private schools Grade 4-12 physical education classes.

“However, in order for schools to have the AIS Program, they must first have a certified instructor – preferably a PE instructor or coach who will introduce as many kids as possible to the joys of target archery,” said Westfall. “DNR has about four trainings a year; and, because class size is limited to 25, training slots are highly sought after. As an added incentive, teachers taking this training may be eligible to receive Continuing Education Hours (CEHs) – provided they submit their paperwork to their principal before the end of the school year.”

“Cabela’s is looking forward to hosting this training and being part of this nationally recognized program,” said Matt Leary, Cabela’s department manager. “Cabela’s West Virginia store was the first in the nation to host a similar training, and we are excited to continue to be a part of this quickly growing program. A lot of credit also needs to be given to local officials and the DNR for bringing this training back to our store. However, it’s about the kids; and, I’m excited to get youth involved in an activity they can enjoy for a lifetime.”

Please note this training will cost $25 for all school employees and $50 for non-school employees. This fee will be paid to WVDNR – Archery in the Schools Program (via check, money order, or exact currency only) during the first morning of the training.

To register for the AIS training at Cabela’s, please call Billie Shearer at (304) 558-2771 or e-mail billieshearer@wvdnr.gov. For more information on the AIS Program, you can visit DNR’s AIS Web site at www.wvdnr.gov/archery or call DNR’s AIS Program Coordinator Jerry Westfall at (304) 558-2771; e-mail jerrywestfall@wvdnr.gov.

National Archery in the Schools Program

COLUMBUS, OH - -(AmmoLand.com)- Nineteen Ohio teams of 430 student archers competed at the 2009 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) National Championship, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Division of Wildlife. The competition was held in Louisville, Kentucky on May 8 and 9; it drew more than 4,500 students from 35 states and Canadian provinces.

Meigs Intermediate School in southeastern Ohio finished second in the elementary school division. Last year, the school’s archers won first place in that division. Also finishing in the top 20 for the elementary school competitors was Maysville Elementary of Zanesville in fifth place, and Logan Hocking Elementary of Logan in twelfth place. A total of 56 teams competed in this division.

Four Ohio teams finished in the top 20 for the middle school division: Maysville Middle School, fourth; Meigs Middle School, 13th; Philo Junior High, 16th; and Logan Hocking Middle School, 17th. Sixty-five teams competed for the middle school title.

Among the 84 teams competing to take the high school national title, two Ohio teams finished in the top 20: Maysville High School finished fourth and Meigs High School took ninth place.

Adrian “AJ” Sprankle of Maysville High School in Zanesville became the second Ohioan to take an individual title at the national competition. Sprankle finished first in the High School Male Division with a score of 296 of a possible 300. Jacob Riffle of Meigs High School in Pomeroy finished third, scoring 296, and Eugene Patterson, also of Meigs High School finished fourth, scoring 295. The top three archers initially were tied at 296. Adrian was declared the winner as he shot more “10s” than those with whom he tied. Second and third place were determined by a tie breaking shoot-off. Adrian and Jacob also shot their way to a share of college scholarship money, earning $2,500 and $2,000 respectively for their marksmanship.

Kelsey Taylor of Morgan High School in McConnelsville would certainly have taken first prize for persistence. Suffering a broken leg and ankle since qualifying by winning the Ohio high school female title, Kelsey was determined to compete at Nationals. She made it to Louisville and finished fifth in the High School Female Division.

The National Archery in the Schools Program brings target archery to the school gym. The curriculum covers archery, safety, equipment, technique, concentration skills, and self-improvement. Kentucky originated NASP in 2002. Ohio has participated in the program since 2004. For more information on the program, visit ohionasp.com.

For a complete list of results for the 2009 National Archery in the Schools Program National Championships visit archeryintheschools.org.

About:
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources ensures a balance between wise use and protection of our natural resources for the benefit of all. Visit the ODNR web site at www.ohiodnr.com.