A new era of bow hunters could be bred this fall as Ontario schools get the opportunity to incorporate archery into their curriculum.
The National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) — an initiative started in Kentucky 13 year ago — is being launched in Ontario by the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters (OFAH).
The initial start-up cost for schools to implement the program is about $3,500. For that, schools will get 12 Genesis compound bows, 120 arrows (2 boxes), 5 target butts, a bow rack, archery netting, a repair kit and complete teacher training. The program is suitable for students in grade 4 through grade 12 and so far, there are 10 schools on board.
“We believe this exciting curriculum-linked, in-school archery program has the potential to spread across the province, enabling thousands of Ontario youth to benefit from the knowledge, skills and character building archery presents,” said Angelo Lombardo, OFAH executive director. While many schools have an archery club, they are generally made up of students who have access to equipment and have already been introduced to the sport. Few schools have archery as part of the curriculum.
Tim Watts, OFAH NASP program coordinator, archery instructor, and 7-time Canadian archery champion says archery is an accessible sport that allows youth of all ages and athletic abilities to participate.
“Archery requires an understanding of kinetics and mathematics and complements many other subjects already taught in schools. It’s a sport that builds self confidence and focus,” he added.
Interested schools can contact the OFAH or visit the website to find out more about the rollout in Ontario.
Is there a recommended way for parents to encourage schools to include this?
Hi Mr. Pappin. In order for a school to participate in NASP, the school principal must approve the program first. Once the principal says that this should go ahead, I need a letter from the school board stating that they have permission to run the program in the first place. Your child could inform a teacher at their school that this program is now available, and to visit http://www.ofah.org/nasp to find out more. Thanks for the enquiry. Tim Watts NASP co-ordinator
I’ll get a few other parents together and fire off something to the principal to see if he is interested. I guess if you hear from us, we were :) My guess is that funds will be the hard part, as the school board around here always seems to be short of money for the kids.