Teams from across Arkansas filled Bank of the Ozarks Arena and the Hot Springs Convention Center's exhibit hall Friday for the Arkansas National Archery in the Schools Program's State Tournament.
The Arkansas program is part of the National Archery in the Schools Program, which teaches archery skills to students in grades 4-12. The Arkansas program is sponsored by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and the tournament continues from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. today.
The program's state coordinator, Curtis Gray, said organizers expect 8,000 to 10,000 people to visit during the two-day tournament, including 1,600 student competitors from the top 100 schools, which were drawn from a regional tournament of the 250 competitive schools in the state. Hot Springs Intermediate School, Park Magnet, A PYP World School, and Hot Springs Intermediate represented Garland County in the tournament.
Gray said archery is fun for both athletic and non-athletic children and connects students to their schools. No matter what a child's stature, they can give it a try. Superintendents have told Gray attendance goes up when the schools participate.
Organizers say they hope to give students a life-long hobby, and maybe add a few bow hunters to the state. Gray said archery is also a great family activity.
Each team is made up of 16 archers. Scoring takes the scores of the top four boys, the top four girls scores, and the next four scores to come up with a total team score. They also award the top five individual boys and girls from each age group, broken down into elementary, middle and high schools. The top boy and girl win a new bow. The high school students compete for a total of $15,000 in scholarships.
According to Gray, the program has had more than 56,000 students so far, with no accidents because of the regimented teaching model. NASP teaches coaches and P.E. teachers, who in turn teach the students. The AGFC gives grants to schools to start the programs so costs won't be a barrier to entry.
"They are enjoying it. I have seen kids being more confident and not just in archery," said Ben Iverson, P.E. teacher and coach for Park Magnet. This is Park's first year with a competitive program after receiving a grant from AGFC last year. Iverson wanted to share his love for archery and give students who otherwise would never get the opportunity the chance to try it.
"It is a new experience and it is fun," said Natalie Trujillo, a 9-year-old fourth grader from Kirby Elementary School, about the tournament. Her coach, Debbie Wright, said Trujillo and the other archers were a lot stronger with better concentration since joining the program.
Hunter's Feeding the Hungry was also on hand trading door prize tickets for canned goods. Each can was worth one ticket, with the goal of providing over a thousand cans to Project Hope Food Bank.
Schools interested in joining the archery program can learn more at the AGFC website.
Local on 03/28/2015