Archery in the Schools (NASP)

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National Archery in the Schools, archery contest

National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP)

The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is a joint venture between Departments of Natural Resources and Departments of Education (schools). Several archery equipment manufacturers and organizations are also partners.

The program promotes student education and participation in the lifelong sport of Archery. The program's focus is to provide International style target archery training in physical education classes, for grades 4-12.

+ History of NASP® in Iowa

National Program History: The overall NASP® program began in Kentucky in 2002 with the training of 39 educators and 22 middle school pilot projects. Shortly afterwards many state agencies joined the program and NASP® was granted a 501 c(3) non-profit education foundation status. As the program has progressed, in a single school year, more than 2.34 million students participate nationwide. Since it's initial inception, 48 states, 9 provinces and 11 countries have participated in the program and is continuing to grow.

Department of Natural Resources Objective: Declining participation in hunting and the shooting sports threatens financial and public support for wildlife conservation. We expect many of these young people to make Archery a lifelong sport. Nationally, up to 81% of the participants reported buying their own archery equipment.

NASP® in Iowa: The National Archery in the Schools Program in Iowa is coordinated through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. There are over 260 Iowa schools participating in the in-school program annually and the program continues to grow. The Iowa DNR provides NASP® Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) training throughout the state to teachers and archery program organizers. BAI training is provided at no cost to teachers conducting NASP® programs as part of a 2 week in-school course. Volunteers wishing to attend the training can do so for a fee of $80.00. Iowa also offers an afterschool league program to schools who are also engaged in the in-school 2 week program. For more information on the afterschool league program visit our how to get started section.

Department of Education Objective: Engage more students in the educational process to improve classroom performance and reduce dropout rates. The national school dropout rate is 7%. Most students (88%) who drop out of school indicate they were not involved in extra-curricular activities. Archery taught by the NASP® is accessible to all students of nearly all age groups. Educators are reporting that the NASP® "engages the unengaged" and inspires students to greater achievement in school. In the 2023-2024 school year Iowa, had 1,485 archers nominated for Academic Archers. An Academic Archer is a student who achieves their school's Honor Roll. Every Academic Archer is eligible for scholarships and prizes from NASP.

Check out the NASP Annual Review to see what youth are saying about this program.

+ How to Get a Program Started

Getting a program started in your school is easy! below are the program requirements:

Step 1: School Administrators must agree to offer a National Archery in the Schools Program.

Step 2: Instructors must be trained as Basic Archery Instructors (BAI). BAIs must be at least 18 years old and trained by a BAIT or BAIT Specialist level instructor. Candidates must pass the BAI practical and score at least 80% on the exam.

Step 3: Schools must obtain the proper equipment, which can be ordered directly from NASP. Iowa NASP offers grants for Iowa Schools new and existing to the Iowa NASP Program.

For more information, contact Zach Benttine, Archery Coordinator for the Iowa DNR at 515-205-8709 or at zachary.benttine@dnr.iowa.gov.