Alabama Archers Win Top Honors at National Championship
OutdoorHub 06.06.12
Wendi Thomas, an Alma Bryant High School junior from Irvington, Ala., was the number one female archer at this year’s National Archery in the Schools (NASP) National Tournament. She shot a score of 296 out of a possible 300, and was awarded a $7,500 college scholarship. Thomas’ performance at the event earned her a spot on the first Army National Guard All-American Archery Team. Korey McKay, a junior from Ashville High, also made the National Guard team.
Foley Intermediate School brought home top honors this year by placing first in the middle school division. Other winning archers from Alabama include: Zac Smith from Ashville Middle, 4th place middle school male; Shelby Anderson from Foley Intermediate, 2nd place 6th grade female; Dalton Anderson from Foley Intermediate School, 2nd place 5th grade male.
More than 7,800 4th-8th grade archers traveled from 35 states to the competition, which was held May 11-12, 2012, in Louisville, Ky. The event set a new Guinness World Record for largest archery tournament in the world.
During the Alabama NASP State Championship held in Birmingham on April 5, nine middle schools, 12 elementary and 15 high school teams from Alabama earned a berth in the NASP National Tournament. For the Alabama State Championship results visit www.outdooralabama.com/education/archery. For complete national results visit www.archeryintheschools.org.
Scoring for the championship is based on Olympic style, target archery in three divisions: elementary, middle and high school. Competition included team and individual levels. NASP archery is a co-gender sport with every team required to contain boys and girls.
The NASP was founded in Kentucky in 2002 and has since spread around the country. The program was introduced in Alabama in 2003, and approximately 230 Alabama schools participate in the NASP program. In Alabama, the NASP is a joint venture between the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division and the Alabama Department of Education.
The program promotes participation in the lifelong sport of archery as part of a school’s physical education course and after-school programs. The NASP program can also be included as a unit or activity in the Lifelong Individualized Fitness Education (LIFE) course as part of the Alabama Course of Study. The program meets the criteria of one credit for physical education required for high school graduation.
