Registration Opens Jan. 3 for Ohio’s National Archery in the Schools Tournament

OHIO – Sign-ups and registration for the Ohio National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Tournament will open Friday, Jan. 3, 2014, at 8 a.m., according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).

More than 40,000 Ohio students participated in NASP as part of their physical education curriculum during the 2012-2013 academic year. The state tournament has openings for 1,512 student archers from certified NASP schools across Ohio. Registrations will close once the 1,512 openings are filled. Last year, more than 1,000 students were registered for the 2013 tournament in less than three hours.

ODNR will host the 2014 State NASP Tournament on Friday, Feb. 28, 2014, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. in conjunction with the 2014 Arnold Sports Festival at Veterans Memorial, located at 300 West Broad St., Columbus, Ohio 43215.

NASP is a school curriculum currently taught in 650 Ohio schools, making Ohio the third-largest program in the United States. Instruction takes place during two weeks of physical education classes and is designed to teach international target archery skills to students in grades 4-12.

Students with high-ranking scores may be eligible for scholarships through Hocking College in Nelsonville, Ohio. Individual archers and teams may also qualify for the NASP National Championship, which will be held May 9-10, 2014, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Ky.

April Bartenschlag of Philo High School in Duncan Falls, Ohio, scored a 296 out of 300 at the 2013 NASP National Tournament in Louisville, Ky. She was named the top high school female archer, top overall female archer, won a $5,000 college scholarship and was named to the NASP All-American Team.

Last year, ODNR certified 370 new instructors from 57 schools in 49 different school districts as Basic Archery Instructors and awarded $57,000 in grants to help with startup costs. New schools can apply for up to $2,500 in grant money to start an archery program at their school.

Ohio was the 10th state to participate in NASP. The ODNR Division of Wildlife introduced NASP in 2004 with 12 pilot schools. Statewide expansion began in January 2005. Growth in NASP has continued across the state, and more than half of Ohio’s 88 counties currently have at least one school participating in NASP.

Schools interested in learning more about NASP may contact Matt Neumeier, shooting sports coordinator for the ODNR Division of Wildlife, at 614-265-6334 or at [email protected]. Visit ohionasp.com for more information.