2013 Archery in Louisiana Schools Tournament Winners Announced

The 2013 Archery in Louisiana Schools (ALAS) State Tournament, coordinated by the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Wildlife Division, was held March 2 at the LSU Ag Center’s Mega-Shelter near Alexandria.

Nearly 500 students from 18 schools participated in the elementary, middle and high school divisions for a variety of prizes, and a chance to compete at the national tournament held in Kentucky.  The tournament consisted of seven flights with up to 80 archers shooting per flight.  Awards were given to the top five individual shooters and top three teams in each division.  The top scoring male and female shooter in each division also received a new Genesis bow.

Tournament results:

TEAM AWARDS

Elementary Division

Benton Elem. 1^st  Place

Phoenix Magnet Elem. 2^nd Place

Ball Elem. 3^rd Place

Middle School Division

Benton Middle 1^st Place

Poland Jr. High 2^nd Place

Cope Middle 3^rd Place

High School Division

Caddo Magnet 1^st Place

Bossier High 2^nd Place

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Elementary Division

Kendal Fowler, Benton Elem. 1^st Place

Kayla Lynch, Benton Elem. 2^nd Place

Aidan Haire, Benton Elem. 3^rd Place

Middle School Division

Peyton Vanlangendonck, Poland Jr. High 1^st Place

Logan Wilhite, Cope Middle 2^nd Place

Gave Fradella, Benton Middle 3^rd Place

High School Division

Anna Leskova, Caddo Magnet 1^st Place

Kellen Hall, Caddo Magnet 2^nd Place

Thomas Thompson, Caddo Magnet 3^rd Place

The Archery in Louisiana Schools (ALAS) program promotes international-style target archery as part of the in-school curriculum in grades 4-12.  The curriculum covers archery history, safety, technique, equipment, mental concentration, core strengthening physical fitness and self improvement.

Teachers attend an eight-hour Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) training program to learn to teach the in-school curriculum. These trainings are conducted by Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ education staff free of charge. Students use standardized equipment to shoot at targets placed before an arrow curtain in the school gymnasium.

Participating schools in this year’s tournament included: Ball Elementary, Benton Elementary, Caroline Dorman Elementary and Junior High, Mary Goff Elementary, Olla Elementary, Hayden R. Lawrence, Phoenix Magnet Elementary, Poland Elementary and Junior High, Benton Middle School, Buckeye Junior High School, Cope Middle School, Haughton Middle School, Bossier High JROTC, Tioga Junior High, Caddo Magnet High School and LA National Guard Youth Challenge Program.

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.