Warrensburg, Missouri - Archery is the new hit thing, or at least that is what the numbers produced from the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri are saying. Last year, there were around 1,300 archery participants that are training as student archers. The latest reports are saying that there are more than 1,600 student archers that are now participating in competitions.
There are sixty-four different schools around the state that are preparing to compete in the fourth annual state tournament held by the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program that will take place on Saturday, March 23rd, at the University of Central Missouri Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg. This event was originally planned as a one-day-event but due to the high amount of participants and interest, additional shooting flights have been added on Friday, March 22nd.
This upcoming event is free to attend and is completely open to the public. Student archers with a qualifying score at the Missouri State Tournament will be offered a spot on the National Archery in the Schools Program World Championship, which will take place over the summer in St. Louis at the America Center and the Edward Jones Dome on June 28th through the 30th.
The Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program is coordinated through the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri and has many participating schools and numerous supporting organizations throughout Missouri. This program and its many training courses and competitions promotes education, physical activity, and participation in the sport of archery for students throughout the fourth through twelfth grade.
Most practices and training take place during physical education classes during the school day. The program’s main idea is to improve attendance, get students interested in the subject matter, increase self-esteem, and get kids to enjoy the outdoors. The archery is an in-school hobby that could because an after-school activity or a weekend event.
More than 58,000 Missouri students from nearly 260 schools participate in this program. Saxony Lutheran High School, Meadow Heights High School, and South Pemiscot High School are all schools from the surrounding area that will be happily participating in this upcoming tournament. The tournament and program has grown tremendously each year and will most likely continue to grow rapidly in the future. This program hopes to grow by offering teacher training and equipment grants to get schools started and teach students of all ages hand-eye coordination and other great skills, both physical and mental.
