01/29/2004
NWTF Committed $100,000 to Archery in Schools Program
It's an opportunity too good to be true, the chance to help educate children all across the United States. And the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) is not letting it slip away without writing a $100,000 check.
An NWTF check was presented to the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) at the Archery Trade Association's trade show in Indianapolis, Ind., Jan. 22-25, to help the program expand throughout the U.S.
"This is a chance to help launch a program that will introduce students to archery," said Rob Keck, NWTF CEO. "The NWTF is pleased to put this money toward a growing program that will have a positive impact on students and teachers."
While the NWTF has made the NASP a priority, the excitement of the pilot program in Kentucky is sweeping into education systems across the country.
"The archery industry, archery enthusiasts and educators around the country are very excited about this program," said Roy Grimes, Principal Assistant to the Commissioner, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. "Our goal is to make this program a possibility for students in at least 30 states over the next five years."
The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources surveyed 1,600 students during the state's pilot program and found that archery can open doors to a number of new possibilities. Sixty percent of students wanted to become target archers, 38 percent wanted to try bowhunting and 89 percent of the students enjoyed the archery instruction after participating in archery courses. Teachers participating in the program also report that the archery curriculum improves student's self esteem.
"The students absolutely love it," said Connie Shackleford, the Kentucky Department of Education's P.E. Curriculum Consultant. "I've been involved in health and physical education for more than 27 years and I've never seen a program that has grown this quickly. Student's behavior has been affected in a positive way. The curriculum is both structured and fun at the same time."
NASP was designed to partner with a state's Department of Education and its Fish and Wildlife agency to offer an Olympic-style target archery program to physical education students from 4th to 12th grades.
Before presenting the two-week archery course, educators undergo a 12-hour National Archery Association (NAA) Level I archery-training program. The core curriculum covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration and self-improvement. Kids shoot at bull's-eye targets placed before an arrow resistant net in their gymnasium, and equipment used is state-of-the-art and designed to fit every student.
"This is a sport that students can take with them for the rest of their lives," said Dick Rosenlieb, NWTF vice president of sales and marketing. "Students have the opportunity to learn from top-rate instructors that will use archery as their tool."
The NWTF's JAKES, (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) outreach program for youths 17-years-old and younger is one more reason the NWTF has committed to the archery in the schools program. In 2003 alone, more than 45,000 children across North America attended over 600 NWTF field days events that included archery, shooting, camping and other outdoor activities.
"The NWTF's support of the National Archery in the Schools Program is one more way that JAKES members or non-members can get involved in archery," said Christine Rolka, NWTF JAKES program education supervisor. "Both JAKES and NASP offer children educational opportunities they wouldn't otherwise have."
For more information about the National Archery in the Schools Program, contact Roy Grimes, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources at 1-800-858-1549.
For more information about the NWTF, contact Jonathan Harling at (800) THE-NWTF.
