11 Apr 2012 Archery programs gain popularity in schools throughout the 501

by Mark Oliver

Since 2002, the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) has brought the sport of archery to millions of students in schools across the United States and various other countries.

Recently, archery programs have been trickling into area schools in the 501, targeting students as young as fourth grade and as old as high school seniors. These programs are designed to teach archery skills to students, as well as an outdoor hobby that students may enjoy for the rest of their lives.

“Archery emphasizes focus and hand-eye coordination,” said Perryville Elementary School Archery Coach Jana McCollum. “This is a great recreational activity that students can participate in for a lifetime. As adults, students can use these skills to bow hunt or participate in shooting competitions.”

“Archery programs are very structured programs,” added Perryville Middle School Archery Coach Jerry Johnson. “Many colleges and universities have archery programs. Archery is also an Olympic sport.”

In-school archery programs are open to both boys and girls and are broken down into three divisions: elementary (grades 4-6), middle school (grades 7-8) and high school (grades 9-12). Money to fund archery programs in Arkansas schools comes from many sources, including Act 799 of 2003, which sends fine money collected from violators of Arkansas Game and Fish Commission regulations to all 75 Arkansas counties.

Although the Perryville School District and Glen Rose School District have only offered archery for two and three years, respectively, the sport is already taking off at a fast pace, due to its inclusion in each of the schools’ physical education programs.

“The students love it,” McCollum said. “On the first day of school, I have students asking me when we will start archery. My younger students have already begun to ask me when they will get to try the activity. We have 310 students in the fourth through sixth grades who participate in archery for a month-long unit in their physical education class.”

“[We teach] all students the basic skills of archery,” said Glen Rose Middle School Archery Coach Christy McClard. “We then allow those students who are interested in the sport to participate. If numbers are an issue, we hold several practices and then we have scheduled tryouts.”

In the recent 2012 ANASP State Archery Tournament in Hot Springs, Glen Rose Elementary School placed second overall, qualifying the team for the national competition in May in Louisville, Ky. For the girls’ team, Morgan Padgett placed in the top five overall, while placing third in the shoot off.

Kimberly Farber placed 10th in the state. For the boys’ team, Carson Fite and Noah Lankford placed sixth and 10th, respectively. The Glen Rose Middle school team, which sports 19 members, finished fifth overall.

“Our team is looking for donations to help cover the cost for the students traveling [to the national tournament],” said Glen Rose Elementary School Archery Coach Renee Lankford. “We will be cooking hamburgers and chicken strips at the district baseball and softball tournament to also help offset the cost.”

Perryville’s Middle School and high school archery programs received grant money from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission to purchase their archery equipment and fielded teams just five weeks before the competition in Hot Springs. Perryville Middle School featured 17 archers in the event and finished ninth out of 33 teams, achieving a qualifying score for the national competition. Archers Jennifer DeSalvo and Gerian Zachary were the team’s top performers, shooting a 263 and a 257, respectively.

Perryville High School featured 19 archers and finished 12th out of 35 teams, but missed the qualifying score for nationals by 90 points. Steven Williams shot a 276 for the event, while Grant Douglas shot a 260.

Perryville Elementary School boasted 23 athletes and finished in a tie for sixth place, with Ronnie Havard and Britney Graves as its top male and female performers, shooting 257 and 237, respectively.

With most in-school archery programs in the early stages, one challenge for schools in the 501 has been generating interest and spreading the word about what these programs can offer students.

“[More] schools need to take advantage of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s opportunity to start a program,” Johnson said. “Before the tournament in Hot Springs, we had about 70 students sign up to participate. Our goal is to make this program even bigger in the upcoming school year with an archery club so that more students will have the opportunity to shoot and enjoy the sport.”