Date: 03/11/10
Contact: Chris Cheff
Phone: (702) 486-5127 x 3504

ARCHERY TOURNAMENT A SUCCESS

By the end of the first ever National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Nevada State Championship Tournament, one thing became very clear…they sure know how to handle a bow in Fallon.

When the results were posted, the top scoring high school male, top scoring middle school participant and top scoring teacher all hailed from the Fallon area.

Sponsored by the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), the NASP state tournament was held at the Riviera Hotel & Casino on February 18 in conjunction with the National Field Archery Association’s World Archery Festival. Over 130 students from six schools participated in the event, five from Clark County and one from Churchill County.

“This is one of the largest first state tournaments for NASP,” said Roy Grimes, president and founder of NASP.

The highest scoring high school male shooter, with a score of 261 points, was Hunter Mori of Churchill County School District in Fallon. The highest scoring high school female shooter, with a score of 225 points, was Shay Sipes, of Veterans Tribute CTA in Las Vegas. However, the highest scoring shooter of the tournament with a score of 274 points was middle school division participant Jordan Schultz of Churchill County School District in Fallon. Both Sipes and Schultz were awarded black and chrome state champion Genesis bows. The coaches from each of the schools also had their opportunity to take home some hardware. Eight coaches participated in a teacher shoot-off with Dean Schultz from Fallon posting the highest score to take home the silver cup.

During the tournament, students completed one flight of six ends (rounds) of five arrows each. Three ends are shot at 10 meters and three ends are shot at 15 meters. The students shot at an 80 cm, 10 scoring ring bull’s-eye target. NDOW employees and volunteers, acting as lane officials, assisted students with scoring and ensured that all safety procedures were followed.

NASP is in its inaugural year in Nevada. NDOW introduced the program to the Clark County School District in September 2009. The agency is now expanding the program throughout the district and will soon be offering a list of other archery programs that will available to the general public.

Beginning at a middle school in Kentucky, NASP has spread to over 5,000 schools across the nation and has included more than 4.6 million participants. It is designed for physical education classes in grades four through 12 and focuses on archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration, strengthening, physical fitness and self-improvement. Teachers are required to complete an eight-hour training session before implementing the program in their classes.

“By the week of the tournament, 10 schools had already become part of the NASP program. We hope to have 26 schools participating by the end of the school year,” said Chris Cheff, Southern Region Archery Education Coordinator for NDOW.

Awards and trophies were presented to the top five individuals in each division (male/female: elementary, middle, and high school), the top three highest scoring elementary, middle and high schools and a spirit award for the school demonstrating the most sportsmanship and positive support.

“This tournament wouldn’t have been possible without the group effort of NDOW employees and the volunteers who assisted. The entire department thanks the employees involved, hunter education instructors, the Las Vegas Woods and Waters Club, Mule Deer Foundation, Fraternity of the Desert Bighorn, and several others who made this event a huge success,” said Cheff. “Everyone is already looking forward to next year. We are expecting an increase in both the number of schools and the number of students who participate.”

The Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW) protects, restores and manages fish and wildlife, and promotes fishing, hunting, and boating safety. NDOW’s wildlife and habitat conservation efforts are primarily funded by sportsmen’s license and conservation fees and a federal surcharge on hunting and fishing gear. Support wildlife and habitat conservation in Nevada by purchasing a hunting, fishing, or combination license. For more information, visit www.ndow.org.

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