2014 Archery in Louisiana Schools (ALAS) State Tournament Set for March 1

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries’ Archery in Louisiana Schools Program (ALAS), a member of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) will begin registering students this month for the 2014 ALAS State Tournament set for March 1 in Alexandria.

Registration begins Dec. 15 and runs through Feb. 7 for the elementary, middle and high school competition that will again be held at the LSU AgCenter Emergency Storm Shelter facility on US Hwy. 71.

Only students who have participated in the ALAS program as part of their in-school curriculum during the current school year are eligible to participate. Teams and individuals compete in one of three divisions that include 4th and 5th grades, 6th through 8th grades, and 9th through 12th grades. An $8 registration fee per archer is required and each competitor receives a 2014 State Tournament t-shirt.

Teams must consist of 12 to 24 archers with at least four boy and girl entrants per team, and each team must be represented by a certified NASP-Basic Archery Instructor coach. Archers are encouraged to bring their own bows and arrows or have the option to use loaner bows and arrows that will be available. Only stock Genesis bows and Easton 1820 aluminum arrows are allowed, and archers may wear finger tabs, tape or gloves to protect draw-hand fingers.

The ALAS state tournament is conducted using National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) rules. Those rules can be found at www.nasparchery.com . Awards will be presented to the top three teams in each division and the top five individuals in each division. The state archery competition allows Louisiana archers to qualify for NASP national and world tournament competitions.

For more information on how to register or sponsorship opportunities, visit http://www.wlf.louisiana.gov/archery/archery-louisiana-schools-alas, or contact Robert Stroede, ALAS program coordinator, 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.