ALBUQUERQUE – A record number of young archers from across New Mexico
competed in the 2018 National Archery in Schools Program (NASP) State
Tournament April 7 at the Albuquerque Convention Center.
This year’s tournament drew 906 archers,
surpassing last year’s record attendance number of 840.
“Archery is gaining popularity as a competitive
sport among New Mexico’s students,” said Brian
Guzman, archery coordinator for the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish.
“Our department is proud to support young archers and encourage their interest
in this challenging extracurricular activity. We are pleased so many kids were eager
to demonstrate their skills and sportsmanship.”
The middle school boys competition ended with
a tie-breaking shoot-off between Jack Jeter of the Albuquerque Institute for
Mathematics and Science (AIMS) and Josh Benevidez of James Monroe Middle School,
who both scored 284. For the shoot-off, the two archers shot three arrows at 15
meters. Jeter took first place with a 29, beating out Benevidez's 27.
In the middle school girls division, Abigail
Carlsen of James Monroe Middle School scored 281.
In the high school competition, Caillie
Waters of AIMS scored 290 out of a possible
300 points, taking first place among female high school competitors. Tyler
Lingnou of Clovis Christian School was the top male high school archer with a score
of 283.
The elementary school competition saw Jaxon
Odom of Clovis Christian School take the top male prize, scoring 273. In the
girls’ completion, Mackenzie Ronzone of Seven Bar Elementary won with a score
of 271.
In team standings, AIMS scored the highest in
the high school division with a score of 3,294 out of a possible 3,600 points.
James Monroe won the middle school division with a score of 3,279 while Seven
Bar Elementary won the elementary division with 3,028 points.
For complete list of
tournament results please visit www.nasptournaments.org.
More than 100 public schools across New
Mexico participate in the National Archery in the Schools Program and more join
every year. Schools receive free training for instructors and the Department of
Game and Fish provides
50 percent of the funding for
each school to purchase archery equipment. It costs about $3,000 to outfit a school or organization
with bows, targets, backstops and other equipment to get a program started.
Many schools incorporate the program into existing physical education or
after-school activities.
Federal funding through the Wildlife and
Sport Fish Restoration Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service makes
National Archery in the Schools Program possible. The Pittman-Robertson Act of
1937 dedicates federal excise taxes collected from manufacturers of firearms,
ammunition and archery equipment to national wildlife restoration programs,
which include hunter education, shooting and archery programs in addition to
wildlife surveys, transplants, and the purchase and management of wildlife
management areas.
For more information about the National
Archery in the Schools Program and how your school can get involved, contact
Brian Guzman, archery coordinator for the Department of Game and Fish at (505)
222-4726 or brian.guzman@state.nm.us.
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