2014 ALAS State Tournament Attracts Record Number of Competitors

The 2014 Archery in Louisiana Schools (ALAS) State Tournament, held March 1 in Alexandria, set a record for participating students and schools. The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries (LDWF) hosted the competition at the LSU Ag Center’s State Emergency Shelter.

“Student enthusiasm for target-style archery training has steadily increased since the ALAS program began,” said LDWF Secretary Robert Barham. “Any student can participate and most find it an enjoyable school activity that can lead to competitive events such as the state and national tournament.”

A record 714 students from 31 schools competed for individual and team awards as well as the opportunity to qualify for the NASP National Tournament in Louisville, Ky. The State Champion team and top ten individuals in each division automatically qualify for the national tournament.

Awards were given to the top three teams and the top 5 individuals in each division. Prizes included trophies, plaques, archery equipment donated by Cabela’s, state prize bows and two $1,250 scholarships for the top male and female shooter in Louisiana, provided by Central Louisiana QDMA.

Team Awards:

High School Division:
State Champion – Caddo Magnet High School
Runner Up – Benton High School
3rd Place – Bossier High School

Middle School Division:
State Champion – Benton Middle School
Runner Up – Cope Middle School
3rd Place – Haughton Middle School

Elementary School Division:
State Champion – Benton Elementary School
Runner Up – Phoenix Magnet Elementary
3rd Place – Poland Junior High

Individual Awards:
Top Male Shooter – Zach Roppolo, Cope Middle School
Top Female Shooter – Kendall Orms, Benton Middle School

Top Five (1st to 5th Place in order)

High School:
Gabe Fradella, Matthew Gideon, Rebecca Hutchinson, Emily Finch and Josh Edvettal

Middle School:
Zach Roppolo, Kendall Orms, Kendall Fowler, Taylor Levasseur and Raygen Snellgrove

Elementary School:
Jazmine Young, Lake Bradford, Josh Farris, Kaitilyn Masters and Carly Vas Buskirk

Along with the over 700 student archers and coaches, nearly 2,000 spectators watched the competition. While attending the competition, spectators were also able to visit vendor exhibits provided by ALAS sponsors and LDWF program exhibits.

The Archery in Louisiana Schools (ALAS) program is affiliated with the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) which introduces students in grades 4-12 to international target-style archery.

LDWF would like to acknowledge tournament sponsors and partners including Central Louisiana QDMA, Louisiana Archery and Sports Center, Louisiana National Guard, Louisiana National Wild Turkey Federation, Alexandria/Pineville Visitors and Convention Bureau, LSU Ag Center, Outlaws BBQ, Cenla Signs, H&E Equipment, Cenla Buck Busters Chapter of Whitetails Unlimited, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Cabela’s, Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Wildlife and Fisheries Foundation, Red River Music, NASP, Craig’s Cleaners, and all the volunteers who assisted in making this event a success.

For more information on ALAS, contact program coordinator Robert Stroede at 318-484-2276 or rstroede@wlf.la.gov.

Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife & Fisheries – Enforcement Division(LDWF) is the fish & game regulatory agency of Louisiana. It has jurisdictionanywhere in the state, and in state territorial waters. The agency enforces both state and federal laws dealing with hunting, fishing, and boating safety. The agency also enforces criminal laws in rural areas including DWI enforcement both on highways and waterways. Most of the Department’s Wildlife Agents also carry Federal law enforcement commissions issued from the United States Department of the Interior - U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and United States Department of Commerce - U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS). These federal commissions allow these state officers to enforce federal migratory waterfowl laws and federal marine fisheries laws in state and federal waters off the coast of Louisiana. Besides their traditional role as a “game warden”, Louisiana Wildlife Enforcement Agents also have a number of other responsibilities, including conducting board of health inspections on some portions of the state’s commercial fishing industry. Agents are trained in and conduct numerous search and rescue operations, both in remote land areas and on the state’s waterways. Agents ensure that hunters, anglers, boaters, dealers, breeders, farmers, and transporters are in compliance with regulations governing equipment, quotas, licenses, and registrations. Agents also assist other State departments and law enforcement agencies in the coordination of educational and professional endeavors, as well as national and state emergency alerts by the Federal Office of Emergency Preparedness. In addition, agents perform search and rescue missions alone or in conjunction with other local, state, and federal agencies.