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NASP® returns to In-Person Competition with 2,092 participants from 33 states in the 2021 Open Championship Tournament!

By: NASP® Staff
June 15, 2021
NASP® President, Tommy Floyd, “We are thrilled to be conducting an in-person tournament again. Our entire team loves to see the large crowds and the smiling archers.  These past months have been difficult, as so many of our student archers were unable to attend any in-person events due to the pandemic. We wanted to increase the number of archers receiving college scholarship dollars, and the random scholarships were a tremendous positive for the individuals and their families, and something I think we will continue. NASP® is very grateful to its many “medal level” and “partner” level sponsors who help make these scholarships possible."

The 2021 NASP® National Tournament Goes Virtual, Attracts A Record 15,683 Archers

By: NASP® Staff Writer
May 14, 2021
NASP® board member Ken Watkins said, “Looking toward the future, and in response to the global pandemic, NASP® has been looking for ways to engage students, wherever they may be.  The virtual tournament structure has been long discussed, and we believe that now is the perfect time for implementation. This first foray to test our virtual waters, is merely a prelude to the exciting things to come.”

Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s Outdoor Fund supports National Archery in the Schools Program with $100,000 grant

By: Bass Pro Shops Cabela's Outdoor Fund Staff writer
November 21, 2020
By rallying passionate customers alongside dedicated team members, industry partners and leading conservation organizations like National Archery in the Schools Program, Bass Pro and Cabela’s is creating North America’s largest conservation movement to collectively shape the future of the outdoors and all who love it for generations to come.

A Stronger Post-COVID NASP®

By: NASP® Staff
November 16, 2020
Patrick O’Connell, NASP® Director of IT services, stated, “We are constantly working to make it easier to grow NASP® while making sure that safety remains our #1 priority. The on-line training features provide teaches who could not get away for a full day of travel and live training, opportunity to bring NASP® to their students. More teachers and more students result in continued expansion of the world’s largest youth archery program”.   

The National Archery in the Schools Program Announces the 2020 Winners of the On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program.

By: Tommy Floyd Ed. D.
April 17, 2020
The National Archery in the Schools Program Announces the 2020 Recipients for the On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program. The OTFLA program is intended to recognize and celebrate the many instances where in-school archery, and the people involved with it, are positively impacting the lives of over 1.4 million NASP® student archers each year.

Despite COVID19 School Impact, NASP® Academic Archer Program reaches all time high enrollment of 31,961 students!

By: Tommy Floyd Ed. D.
April 3, 2020
The largest youth archery organization in history has experienced yet another historic milestone. Despite the recent global impact of the Coronavirus and most schools operating virtually, NASP® educators and coaches took appropriate steps to nominate and recognize the academic performance of their student archers using local criteria. At the close of the enrollment window on April 1, 31,961 students were enrolled by their coaches as NASP® Academic Archers from 45 US states, 4 Canadian provinces and several schools from the British Virgin Islands!

“NASP®’s 3rd Annual Western Tournament to see Record-Breaking Attendance!”

By: Brittany Jones
March 5, 2020
The great state of Utah, known for receiving more than 500 inches of snowfall per year, will be seeing less snow and more archery gear, as the National Archery in the School Program (NASP®) prepares to kick off the 2020 Western National Tournament this spring, April 24th-25th at the Mountain America Center in Sandy, Utah. Archers out West have been practicing and honing their skills all year in preparation for this anticipated and prestigious event. In 2019, more than 1200 archers competed in this event, and more are expected to participate this year-- breaking the record for attendance from years past.

The National Archery in the School’s Program Feature Spotlight “Through Jocelyn’s Eyes”

By: Brittany Jones
November 26, 2019
Nancy Tamblyn, NASP® coach and educator, had many inspiring words to say about Jocelyn and the experiences that followed. Tamblyn said, “I could write a book…Reader’s Digest version would be that Jocelyn was more than willing to try archery as her lack of vision had shrunk her whole world down to a small fraction of what it had been when she still had her sight.” Tamblyn further explains, “When she attended her first practice, it was clear that nobody knew the work, experimentation, and tweaking, along with the trust and commitment it would take to get Jocelyn to the point where she was confident enough to enter her first NASP® tournament.” Jocelyn said

NASP® Selects the next Alumni Association Director

By: NASP® Staff
October 30, 2019
Through the alumni effort, we can gladly assist the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife with the promotion of R3 activities that are exactly what our students say that they want! The potential of reconnecting with Kentucky’s one million NASP® alumni and this becoming the model to eventually reach the remainder of the18+ million former NASP® archers (in other jurisdictions) should be very important to all of us who care about the outdoors, archery and conservation!

“Over half a million arrows fly at 2019 Eastern NASP® Nationals!”

By: Brittany Jones
May 15, 2019
Congratulations, once again, to all the student archers! With the number of ties that have occurred over the past couple years at large tournaments, NASP® President Grimes noted, “Beginning last year NASP® began presenting duplicate awards for 1st-5th place individuals who tied for those positions. This procedure was implemented to reduce the number of time-consuming tie-breaker shoot-offs and to recognize top achievement, even if achieved by more than one archer.

“Attendance Doubles at NASP®’s 2019 Western Tournament”

By: Brittany Jones
April 30, 2019
Congratulations to all of NASP®’s archery champions! As the 2019 Western Nationals have closed, archers from the Eastern half of the United States gear up for their turn to compete, May 9-11 in Louisville, Kentucky, for the Eastern NASP® Nationals. Scores from both tournaments, Eastern and Western, will then be combined to determine which individuals and teams will advance to the Open Championship, July 25-27 in Nashville, TN, for their chance at winning $175,000 dollars in scholarship money!

The “Sky”pe is the Limit: NASP® Archers Compete in an International Skype Tournament By: Lisa Frye, Kentucky State NASP® Coordinator

By: Lisa Frye, Kentucky State NASP®
April 23, 2019
“It was great seeing friends from around the World and making so many new ones. I truly do believe that NASP® changes not only archer’s lives’ one arrow at a time but societies. The addition of the Skype portion was the talk of our tournament with so many people amazed that we were able to have people join our tournament from around the world.” – Hal Ziprick with H.A. Kotash School, Alberta Canada.

“Louisville, Kentucky Hosts the Seventeenth Annual 2019 NASP® National Tournament”

By: Brittany Jones
March 18, 2019
Award ceremonies will be conducted after the last flight on Saturday. Awards will be presented in all NASP® divisions including: NASP® Bulls-eye and NASP®/IBO 3D Challenge competition (International Bowhunting Organization 3D). Awards will be given to 1st-5th place individual boys and girls, 1st-3rd place teams in each of the three divisions; Elementary, Middle, and High School, and overall runner-up and overall boy and girl.

NASP® Selects Alumni Association Director for Kentucky State Pilot

By: NASP®
September 25, 2018
NASP® Vice President and General Manager Dr. Tommy Floyd said, “We continue to hear the urgency from the archery industry as well as among state DNRs about the current state of R3 (Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation) and archery participation numbers. We know that NASP® is working for conservation, education, and the archery industry, we now believe it is time to reach out to those individuals no longer in our program.

NASP® Academic Archer Program and On Target for Life Awards to open September 1, 2018!

By: Tommy Floyd Ed. D.
August 31, 2018
The National Archery in the Schools Program and Easton Technical Products announce the opening of the fourth year of the popular NASP® Academic Archer program. The On Target for Life Awards have been created to provide an opportunity to identify, recognize and celebrate the actions of the special people that are a part of any local NASP®. Through their examples, NASP® continues to make a difference at the local level - One Arrow at a Time!

“NASP® All-Stars Shoot For Gold in Calgary”

By: Brittany J. Jones
August 14, 2018
While the tournament and awards ceremony had ended, the fun didn’t cease. Many students, coaches, and families took part in some of Canada’s finest festivities such as The Calgary Stampede and amusement parks. Others took road trips to visit some of Alberta’s most scenic locations, such as Banff National Park and other picturesque mountainous locations. Roy Grimes, NASP® CEO/President gave a little insight on what to expect next year for the all-star’s event. “The NASP® all-star championship has been wildly popular among the students and parents who qualify and are able to attend. Beginning next year, in Nashville, TN the all-star event will be part of the NASP® Open Championship with up to 5,600 archers expected to compete.”

Arrows Fly North As NASP® All-Stars Head to Canada In July

By: Brittany J. Jones
June 20, 2018
The All-Star Competition will be held over a 3-day period, July 9-11. On day one, every participant will shoot three rounds of bulls-eye. Day one will determine individual standings in bulls-eye for both all-stars and developmental archers. On day two, the top three teams from day 1, will compete for champion and runner-up honors. Once this has been determined, the range will be converted to 3-D, and all archers will participate in round one.

10th Time is a Charm for Student Archers at NASP® Worlds

By: Brittany Jo Jones
June 13, 2018
“My experience at NASP® Worlds was amazing! I never dreamed that I would have this experience as a Freshman or that I would end up in the third-place spot,” says Breann Holtz, a ninth grader from Lawton-Bronson Junior/Senior High School (Iowa) who won ten thousand dollars in the 2018 scholarship shoot-off described above. Holtz also said, “The scholarship shoot-off was intense, and I am so grateful I was able to participate and hope I will have an opportunity again in the future.” This is Holtz’s first time competing in a National or World Tournament since the Nationals was split into two events, Eastern and Western Nationals. “Offering NASP® archers in the western U.S. an opportunity to participate in a major tournament closer to home, is one of the main reasons the Western Nationals was implemented. Breann’s first-time participation and success validates our decision”, says NASP® CEO/President, Roy Grimes.

Arrows Soar at NASP®’s 16th Eastern National Tournament

By: Brittany Jo Jones
May 18, 2018
In addition to the 14,139 student archers in attendance who advanced from state tournaments in thirty-five states, more than thirty thousand friends, family, and volunteers were also present to make sure the tournament ran smoothly and to cheer on the athletes! As is the norm for NASP® classes and events, the female/male mix was 47/53 % underscoring that the rapidly growing sport of archery is popular among both genders!

2018 NASP® All-American Academic Team Announced

By: Tommy Floyd Ed. D. National Archery in Schools Program Vice President and General Manager
May 14, 2018
Based on the results of both of the 2018 NASP® Eastern and Western National Tournaments and using rosters of all registered Academic Archers, NASP® announces it third All-American Academic Teams in Elementary, Middle School, and High School Divisions. These student archers not only excelled on the range, but also were recognized by their school for proficiency in the classroom.

2018 Winners of the On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program

By: Tommy Floyd Ed. D. National Archery in Schools Program Vice President and General Manager
May 14, 2018
The National Archery in the Schools Program Announced the 2018 Recipients for the On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program. The OTFLA program is intended to recognize and celebrate the many instances where in-school archery, and the people involved with it, are positively impacting the lives of over two million NASP® student archers each year.

NASP® and Archery Safety

By: Tommy Floyd Ed. D. National Archery in Schools Program Vice President and General Manager
April 23, 2018
Of all aspects of NASP®, safety occupies the paramount position in all that we do. The task of instructing students in how to shoot the bow and arrow in a school or other gymnasium requires extreme dedication and adherence to specific and strict safety protocol. This proven protocol continues to keep NASP® students safe and enjoying their introduction to the sport of archery.

NASP® Nationals Seeing Double for 2018

By: Brittany J Jones
March 26, 2018
Across the country, student archers are participating in state tournaments, gearing up for the main event this Spring, The National Archery in the School’s Program’s (NASP®) National Tournament, but with one major change. This spring, traveling to nationals will be easier on many folks as the tournament will be spilt into two separate events. The Eastern tournament will be held at its native location, Louisville, Kentucky’s Exposition Center during May 10-12, and the Western Tournament will be held in Salt Lake City, Utah’s Mountain America Exposition Center, April 12-14.

“Not Your Average Archer”

By: Brittany J Jones
January 15, 2018
Faith Oakley, a junior at Bethlehem High School in Bardstown, Kentucky is not your average archer. She began shooting with NASP® in the fifth grade, but actually got her first taste of archery at summer camp the year prior. “At summer camp, my cabin would to go to the archery range once a day. The coach there asked me if I wanted to shoot. I was hesitant at first, but she offered to hold the bow for me while I drew back the string and aimed. When we went to shoot with the team, my first arrow was a bulls-eye.”

The National Archery in the Schools Program announces the 2018 On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program

By: Tommy Floyd Ed. D.
November 1, 2017
After a huge success in 2017, NASP® announces the opening of the 2018 On Target For Life Awards. The OTFLA program is intended to recognize and celebrate the many instances where in-school archery, and the people involved with it, are positively impacting the lives of 2.4 million NASP® student archers each year. See the 2017 OTFLA press release: OTFLA 2017

NASP® Hires New State Coordinators for CT, KY, NC, and OR

By: Brittany J Jones
January 13, 2017
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) is entering its 16th year having launched on March 3, 2002. Since then, NASP® participation has grown considerably beyond its original state of Kentucky to forty-seven states, as well as eight provinces, and eleven countries worldwide. This largest of all youth archery programs has enrolled more than fourteen thousand schools with more than 2.4 million participating students. To say that this NASP® is popular would be the understatement of the year as the youth of today are jumping on the archery train like wildfire in a drought-stricken forest!

NASP® announces dates and location for second Educators and Coaches Conference July 27 – 28, 2018

By: NASP® Staff
December 12, 2016
Dr. Tommy Floyd, Vice President of NASP® said, “We are following up on information gathered from our 2016 post-conference. From this information, we learned what attendees really wanted in training opportunity like this. Beyond the obvious networking opportunity, attendees were very descriptive in the types of sessions they wanted to improve their archery coaching capacity. We plan to provide these very informative and specific sessions as a result.

NASP® President Roy Grimes recognized by The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for Special Recognition Award

By: NASP® Staff
September 14, 2016
NASP® President Roy Grimes recognized by The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies for Special Recognition Award “Having spent 30 years as a state wildlife agency biologist, I consider members of AFWA my peers,” said Roy Grimes, President of NASP®. “It is a terrific honor to have the National Archery in the Schools Program recognized by AFWA professionals for its efforts to establish millions of student archers every year.”

NASP® Academic Archer Program Gets New Sponsor – New Look!

By: NASP® Staff
August 31, 2016
Easton Technical Products is the new Gold Level Sponsor of the National Archery in the Schools Program and the new financial sponsor of the NASP® Academic Archer program. In November of 2015, National NASP® leadership and a group of NASP® educators and students met to discuss ways to further enhance the 15 year old program. One recommendation was to establish a uniform incentive and recognition format to recognize and promote academic achievement for participating NASP® students. The concept of a NASP® Academic Archer was born.

2016 NASP® World Tournament – By: Savannah Philpot

By: Savannah Philpot
August 9, 2016
I could not believe I shot two 50’s to begin my scoring rounds! I then shot a 47 for my 15-meter practice round. I shot my best rounds ever from the 15 with 49, 48, and 49! I was surprised at my score when my dad told me it was a 295. I began facetiming, texting, and calling my family and friends to tell them about my score. My family and friends were really happy that I shot a 295. I won a Genesis bow as one of my prizes so I gave it to my little brother,

2016 NASP® National Youth Archery Tournament Breaks All Records

By: Roy Grimes
May 18, 2016
The world’s largest indoor archery ranges, totaling more than a half-mile were set-up in just 20 hours at Kentucky’s Exposition Center. Then, over the next three days student archers broke the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) national tournament record with 12,897 archers (up 7%). The NASP®/IBO 3D Challenge (“3D Challenge”) hosted 3,416 shooters (up 20%), and Centershot Ministries (archery in the church) had 953 archers (up 1,200%).

Coach Of the Year On Target For Life Award winner – Tom Patterson Trigg County High School

By: NASP® Staff
May 17, 2016
His nominators said, “Coach Tom Patterson has been involved with coaching NASP® archery since 2005. Tom has a passion for archery and truly connects at a “heart” level with the students. To say Tom has gone above and beyond in the lives of his NASP® students seems like an understatement. He has a deep compassion for not only assisting young people in the sport of archery, but also to become better people as a whole, more confident, more polite, more goal driven, higher self-awareness and higher expectations academically and socially.

NASP® Legacy Award On Target For Life Award winner – John Woodson Peterstown Middle School

By: NASP® Staff
May 17, 2016
His nominators said: John was a PE teacher at our middle school and he brought the program to his classroom then built a team. He originally brought in 2 men (Barry Meadows and Ronnie Crawford) from our community who enjoy archery and had them trained to help him. They both are still coaching our archery teams. John was persistent and passionate about the kids succeeding in this program. The first year we attended Nationals,

The National Archery in the Schools Program Announces the 2016 Winners of the On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program.

By: NASP® Staff
May 17, 2016
The National Archery in the Schools Program Announced the 2016 Recipients for the On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program. The OTFLA program is intended to recognize and celebrate the many instances where in-school archery, and the people involved with it, are positively impacting the lives of 2.23 million NASP® student archers each year.

NASP® ACADEMIC ARCHER PROGRAM CONCLUDES WITH OVER 8500 STUDENTS ENROLLED!

By: NASP® Staff
May 3, 2016
Registration concluded for the 2015/2016 school year on April 30th with 8,517 students enrolled into the program. Educators from 38 US states and two Canadian Provinces implemented the NASP® Academic Archer Program with their students. Using the existing pool of registered Academic Archers that will compete in the upcoming national tournament, NASP® will soon name the first ever NASP® All-Academic Archery Team.

Chart Topping Attendance Expected at NASP® Nationals 2016

By: Brittany J Jones
March 28, 2016
With the extraordinary amount of students, parents, and coaches that will be in attendance, one might wonder how they will all fit into an indoor range! If you have been at this facility before, you already know, during this event the KEC plays host to the largest indoor range in the world at 1,350 feet long. This allows 540 students in each of the twenty-seven hour-long “flights” to compete. That’s a whole lot of space for these eager archers, and one of the reasons these events are held in Louisville.

Academic Archer enrollment climbs to 1000+ in first two weeks after launch!

By: NASP® Staff
February 3, 2016
Dr. Tommy Floyd – NASP® Vice President and General Manager said, “It’s a great example of how NASP® continues to grow, and support educators and coaches with a program to engage students in their primary goal – higher academic achievement in the classroom! The educators and coaches that have already enrolled their students in the program, realize that with AA, NASP® is even more closely aligned to increasing success for students through motivation and recognition of excellence in the classroom! Imagine the excitement at NASP® nationals when these archers are recognized for their academic proficiency!"

NASP® conducts first ever NASP® Advisory Council – November 9, 2015

By: NASP® Staff
November 9, 2015
The meeting was intended to further strengthen and increase the spread of the rapidly growing and successful program. NASP® is now involved in over 14,000 schools in 47 states and 11 jurisdictions. Last year’s National tournament involved 12,045 archers and was the largest archery tournament ever held. However, with only 10-15% of NASP® participants competing in tournaments, most of the day’s agenda was aimed at improving the “experience” for everyone. The goal was to use all feedback to provide more accurate information and better training opportunities on in-school archery for anyone wanting to learn more about NASP®.

NASP® Academic Archer Program Opens September 1, 2017!

By: Tommy Floyd Ed. D.
August 28, 2017
NASP® president Roy Grimes said, “It is our intention to send the strongest of messages about how teaching archery as part of the school curriculum is important to the mission of educators. As we've stated before, the more we emphasize in-school archery as an extension of the classroom, the more that educators can use programs like Academic Archer, as a motivational tool to reach more students! “

“Not Your Average Target at the 2017 NASP®/IBO/3D Challenge!”

By: Brittany J Jones
June 9, 2017
The NASP®/IBO 3D Challenge was invented for the sixty-five percent of the NASP® student archer population who wanted to take part in a more “realistic” experience with targets that were simulated wild beasts. These simulations include: Turkeys, Coyotes, Bears, Pronghorn Antelope, Whitetail Deer, and Sheep. There were eighteen identical ranges set up for this challenge, and each range included one of these unique replicas.

Records Fall at the 2017 NASP® Nationals

By: Brittany Jones
May 19, 2017
Louisville, Kentucky, famous for the great Ali, baseball bats, and fast horses, once again hosted the highly anticipated 2017 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) national tournament. This was NASP®’s fifteenth national tournament since its inception on March 3, 2002. Student archers, coaches, parents, and friends from forty-one states and Washington DC gathered at the Louisville Exposition Center from May 11-13 for three record-breaking tournaments under one roof!

The National Archery in the Schools Program announces the 2017 Winners for the On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program

By: NASP® Staff
May 15, 2017
The National Archery in the Schools Program Announces the 2017 winners for the On Target for Life Awards and Recognition Program. The OTFLA program is intended to recognize and celebrate the many instances where in-school archery, and the people involved with it, are positively impacting the lives of 2.23 million NASP® student archers each year.

Record Breaking Results Expected At The 2017 NASP® Tournament

By: Brittany J Jones
February 27, 2017
More than 14,000 archers are expected to compete in this national tournament. This will be an increase of 9% over last year’s national record total of 12,897 student archers. Nine hundred and fifty schools, from forty-two participating states, are anticipated to attend this year. Of course, the competition wouldn’t be complete without the 28,000 friends, family, and 180 volunteers who will share the fun.

Superhero Award On Target For Life Award winner – Scott Cleland Brompton School

By: NASP® Staff
January 1, 1970
His nominators said, “Scott goes above and beyond any other person involved in the NASP® program at Brompton. He's a coach, equipment repairman, salesman, and grant writer. There is very little that is done in this program that Scott is not intimately involved in. Without Scott's dedication, our kids would not be nearly as successful as they have been so far in only our second year. His hard work, dedication and love of archery are evident in every aspect of the program

Outstanding Alumni On Target For Life Award winner – Cameron Peyton Anderson County High School

By: NASP® Staff
January 1, 1970
His nominators said, “Cameron continues to support our ACHS Bearcats. When he is home from college, he stops by to join an archery practice, chats with the team, and gives encouragement to those who may be struggling with form, concentration, or whatever an archer may feel comfortable discussing with him. He not only comes back for practices, but has made appearances at multiple tournaments to watch/support his friends & former team as well.

Community Service On Target For Life Award winner Cordova Elementary – Diana Bickelhaupt – Coach

By: NASP® Staff
January 1, 1970
Excerpts from their nomination: In 2011, Cordova Alabama was devastated by a F5 tornado. With the community behind them, the Cordova Elementary Blue Arrows aim to make service projects a priority to give back to others like others gave to our families after the tornado wiped out many homes and businesses. The team started "Blue Arrows Troop Boxes" to send to our troops over seas to let them know we were thinking of them.

Courage Award On Target For Life Award winner – Emily Dawson Paul Lawrence Dunbar High School

By: NASP® Staff
January 1, 1970
She is an amazing young lady who shows courage everyday since she learned she had bone cancer. She even took a geometry test in the hospital right before a chemo treatment. Emily let the school newspaper, the Lamplighter, write a story as well as produce a video about her. The video was shown to the entire school in September. It takes courage to do that! I uploaded the article. Here is the link to the video/school broadcast: http://youtu.be/_IwqzclnZKs

On Target For Life – Bullseye Award winner – Zach Hoffmire Brompton School

By: NASP® Staff
January 1, 1970
Zach is very talented and was a beginner in the program last year when Brompton started an archery team for the first time. As his principal, I am inspired by Zach’s attention to detail and his perseverance. He is a hardworking and dedicated student who gives 110% to any activity he is involved in. Zach is an exemplary role model for the students at Brompton. He is respectful, dependable, and reliable. Our school focuses on character education and he always shows it.”

Cabela’s Outdoor Fund Newest Gold Medal Level NASP® Sponsor

By: NASP® Staff
January 1, 1970
Cabela's Outdoor Fund is a non-profit organization dedicated to efforts that promote and protect hunting, shooting sports, trapping, fishing, camping and conservation. This fund is possible through donations from generous Cabela’s customers who choose to “round up” their purchases to the nearest dollar at Cabela’s stores. The Cabela’s Outdoor Fund contributes to other like-minded organizations in communities across the country working to make the great outdoors even better.