Why archery?
Students join archery for a variety of reasons, weather it be to try a new sport, enjoy time with friends, or to perfect their archery skills. Students have been asked, "What does OWL Archery mean to you, and why did you join?" Here is what a few students said about their experience. "I joined because I have been a part of the team for three years and enjoy archery. I enjoy being able to help out team mates by being a mentor to the new students." "I joined because it sounded interesting. I like that I can be be proud of myself when I get high scores on the targets, and it is a fun sport. I have learned that you don't just aim at the center but have your own aiming point." "I joined archery because I wanted to try something new and have something I could be good at. I enjoy archery because it is something I can be good at, but always improve on. I can set goals in archery, like trying to be one of the top ten in a tournament. Archery has become a passion for me, and I want to make it to the Olympics for archery someday." |
National Archery in the Schools Program®
In 2002, Tom Bennett, the commissioner of the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (KDFWR) joined forces with the Kentucky Department of Education to host an event called Step Outside, which introduced Archery to Educators and students. From this event The National Archery in the Schools Program® (NASP®) was launched. Archery was offered as a part of PE classes for the first time. The program started small, with 651 student archers in Kentucky, and now includes more than 2 million members nationwide.
Though the program is expanding rapidly, its vision has stayed the same since 2002. NASP’s mission is to improve educational performance and participation in archer sports among students in grades 4-12. The program encourages students to participate in a sport they can remain active in throughout their lives while enjoying the outdoors. Many students enjoy the sport so much that they want to buy their own archery equipment for practice during the summer. In both after school programs and PE classes, the focus centers on the process of shooting rather than arrow scores. Students are taught safety precautions, how to care for their bow, as well as whistle commands. Once students understand the basics they are taught to think about every step of their shot, which includes stance, drawing their arrow, anchoring, aiming, shot set- up, and release. A team of education and archery experts have collaborated to create archery lessons that are not only exciting for students to participate in, but also meet state and national standards.
Though the program is expanding rapidly, its vision has stayed the same since 2002. NASP’s mission is to improve educational performance and participation in archer sports among students in grades 4-12. The program encourages students to participate in a sport they can remain active in throughout their lives while enjoying the outdoors. Many students enjoy the sport so much that they want to buy their own archery equipment for practice during the summer. In both after school programs and PE classes, the focus centers on the process of shooting rather than arrow scores. Students are taught safety precautions, how to care for their bow, as well as whistle commands. Once students understand the basics they are taught to think about every step of their shot, which includes stance, drawing their arrow, anchoring, aiming, shot set- up, and release. A team of education and archery experts have collaborated to create archery lessons that are not only exciting for students to participate in, but also meet state and national standards.