Arnold Archery Competition: 860 Students Take Aim In Ohio Archery Tournamen
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 2009
COLUMBUS, OHIO – More than 860 students from across Ohio will converge at the Arnold Sports Festival on Friday, March 6 for the third annual Ohio National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Tournament being held this year at the Ohio Expo Center’s Lausche Building.
The tournament, which will feature 36 teams of 16-24 archers, will serve as a season-ending championship for many competitors who have participated in archery as a part of their school program, during and after school, throughout the year. Students in grades 4-12 will compete for individual and team awards. The first place team in each division advances to the NASP National
Championships.
“This will again be a great experience for the schools and students involved,” said Kevin Dixon, coordinator for the Ohio NASP tournament and shooting sports coordinator for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife. “The kids are very excited and will enjoy meeting students from other NASP participating schools all over Ohio. They enjoy coming together and competing in a large event like this.”
Dixon started working with the program in 2003 when he attended a NASP archery instructor training in Kentucky. The Ohio Division of Wildlife implemented the program in April 2004. Ohio currently has 307 NASP trained schools. The program is growing nationwide, too, with 48 states boasting more than 5,000 schools now participating in the program.
“Archery is a great sport that almost everyone can participate in – it is a lifelong skill,” Dixon said. “The lessons learned through this program include higher self esteem, improved confidence, social skills, respect, patience, and many more. Kids love NASP because it is an independent sport but at the same time they are an important part of the group.”
For more information, visit www.ohionasp.com and www.arnoldsportsfestival.com. Admission to the Arnold Archery Competition is included in a $10 daily ticket to the Arnold Fitness EXPO. Tickets are available at the door or from Ticketmaster at 800-745-3000, or www.ticketmaster.com/arnold.
Post by: TLemun