Two Gulf Coast Schools Produce World Archery Champions in Alabama
Alabama DCNR 10.26.12
Alabama can add two world class championship archery teams to its long list of sports accomplishments. On Saturday, October 6, the Foley Intermediate School archery team took first place in the elementary division at the National Archery in the Schools Program’s (NASP) 2012 World Championships at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla. In addition to Foley’s first place finish, the Alma Bryant High School archery team took second place in the high school division, and three Alabama archers placed within the top three spots in their respective divisions.
Foley’s archers shot 3,298, and Alma Bryant earned a score of 3,408 out of a possible 3,600. To view the complete 2012 NASP World Championship results, visit www.nasptournaments.org.
Wendi Thomas, a junior at Alma Bryant High School in Irvington, Ala., shot a 295 out of a possible 300 to win first place in both the overall individual female and high school female categories. Foley Intermediate School sixth grader Shelby Anderson won first place in the elementary school female category with a score of 289. Alma Bryant senior Joshua Clarke, who shot a 295, took third place in the high school male category.
Both the Foley Intermediate and Alma Bryant archery teams have experienced an exceptional year of shooting.
In May of this year, Foley Intermediate School won first place in the NASP National Championship in Louisville, Ky. During the National Championship, Foley averaged 272.25 points per archer. The team also broke their goal of scoring 3,200 points with a score of 3,267 beating their closest competitor by 30 points to win first place in the middle school division.
Foley archery coach Ryan Anderson was pleasantly surprised by the outcome of the world championship. “We’d lost a few archers to other sports and we weren’t expecting to win the world championship, but our students shot their best score all year. They were tickled to death,” he said. “They’ll have this win to remember for the rest of their lives, and I hope they do.
Alma Bryant began their season by winning a regional tournament in February. In April, they won first place in the high school division at the State NASP Championship in Birmingham. Alma Bryant’s Wendi Thomas also won first place overall female at the National Championship with a score of 296 out of 300 possible points.
Alma Bryant’s coach Roy Richardson is extremely proud of his archers’ performance. “Our team has shot exceptionally well this year,” he said. “The fact that Wendy took first place in each competition she shot in is a major accomplishment. I’m thankful for our students’ dedication and to our community for their support of Alma Bryant’s archery program.”
Scoring for the NASP World 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 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.
