The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency will host the National Archery in the Schools Program 12th annual state championships, March 28-29 in Murfreesboro.
The NASP State Championships will be returning to the Tennessee Miller Coliseum for the ninth consecutive year. Close to 2,000 students representing more than 130 schools are expected to participate.
"Many of the Volunteer State’s best student archers will again participate in this year’s event. The NASP program began in Tennessee in 2004 and has seen tremendous growth since its inception," officials said.
There will be three divisions. Schools will compete in the elementary, middle school and high school divisions. Awards will be presented to the top teams and individual finishers in each division.
Competition will start at 9:45 a.m., with the final flight scheduled for 3:30 p.m. each day. The awards ceremony is expected to begin at 5 p.m. on the second day of the competition. The public is welcome and invited to attend. There is no admission charge.
At the 2017 state championships, Central Magnet High School repeated as champion of its division while Stewarts Creek Middle School and East Lincoln Elementary School claimed their first championships in their divisions.
Tennessee began NASP in late 2004 with 12 pilot schools participating in the program. The number of schools has grown to 327 that now participate in the program. NASP is a two-week curriculum taught during school that teaches International Style Target Archery.
Each student will shoot 30 arrows, 15 from 10 meters and 15 from 15 meters, with a maximum score of 300. The top team and top 10 individuals in each division automatically receive a bid to compete in the 2018 National NASP Tournament to be held in May in Louisville, Ky. There will also be at-large bids for those who qualify.
If a school or teacher is interested in starting a NASP program, contact Don Crawford, assistant chief of Information and Education at Don.Crawford@tn.gov or 615-781-6542, or Matt Clarey, regional training coordinator in TWRA Region III at Matt.Clarey@tn.gov or 931-484-9571.