NASP provides an archery education
By Dave Bates
Contributing writer
As a young heathen roaming the hills of southwestern Pennsylvania, I spent a fair amount of time with a bow and arrow in hand. Most of what I learned was either self-taught (and not very successfully I might add) or was gleaned from limited experiences with high school physical education classes, scouting opportunities or with a friend who might have a dad who was interested in these pursuits.
In the 1990s, I developed a more serious interest in hunting with a bow and purchased a compound bow and set to learning as much as I could, mostly by trial and error. My infatuation eventually led me down the path of the long bow. I became an archery instructor with the Boy Scouts of America and began to shorten the learning curve for kids so they didn’t have to go through the frustrations that I went through. My summers were spent on the range at Camp Anawana and some real interest was stirred among my young archery proteges.
At this year’s Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, I stumbled upon a program that I thought might be well worth sharing: The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). The program is tied in with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and its primary goal is to teach international-style target archery in physical education classes in grades 4-12. Core content covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration, core strengthening physical fitness and self-improvement, following the National Physical Education Standards.
Students shoot at 80cm bulls-eye targets placed before an arrow curtain in their gymnasium. Equipment used is state of the art and universal-fit so every student can use the same bows and arrows. Teachers and other adult individuals who are interested (parent volunteers, paraprofessionals, administrators, etc.) undergo an eight-hour NASP Basic Archery Instructor training program prior to presenting the archery curriculum in the class. BAI workshops are offered at no cost throughout Pennsylvania. The archery safety record is better than that of every ball sport taught in schools except table tennis. Content material translates into classroom subject matter for math, science and history. Students are said to enjoy the NASP days so much that it positively influences school attendance. The program involves physical activity in which every student can participate and boys and girls can participate together. NASP involves students in what will hopefully become a life-long activity and acts as a self-esteem booster for at-risk students.
Thanks to support from the archery industry, the
$6,000 equipment kits can be purchased by schools for approximately $3,100. The PA Game Commission is offering $1,500 grants to schools to offset the cost of the purchase of NASP kits. Other funding opportunities exist as well.
The step-by-step process begins with the following:
Students – in grades 4-12 can be a part of the curriculum.
Enroll – Complete a commitment letter and submit it to your state coordinator. Sample letters are available on line.
Grants are available on line which can total nearly half the costs accrued with the program.
Training will be provided free of charge. A certified archery instructor will come to your school and train your staff. Upon completion of the training, you will be a certified Basic Archery Instructor.
Benefits: Attendance improvement, increased grade point average, attitude, confidence, self-esteem, all accomplished while having fun with friends while cultivating a life-long passion.
To get started in your Pennsylvania school, contact Kaila Hess at the Pennsylvania Game Commission. She can be reached at kailhess@pa.gov
While archery is the primary focus of this program, consider this: How many hunters do you know who fish? Probably quite a few. Outdoor pursuits like archery rarely stand alone in static. Hunters fish. Fishermen shoot. Shooters hike. And so on down the road goes the continuum. The numbers suggest that approximately 91% of students pursue other outdoor activities thanks to NASP. The more opportunities that are provided for kids to pursue their outdoor interests, and especially at an early age, the more young men and women we can connect to a lifelong love of the outdoors.
Way to go NASP.
Dave Bates writes a weekly outdoors column for the Observer-Reporter. He can be reached at alphaomegashootingsolutions@gmail.com