BELTON, Texas – The Lone Star State's finest young archers are set to draw their bows in the 18th Annual Texas-National Archery Championship, aiming for top honors, scholarships, and the chance to advance to the national stage. More than 4,000 students from 150 schools are prepared to compete in Bullseye and 3D Archery contests on March 26-27 at the bell-ringing Bell County Expo Center, according to a press release by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD).
Kendrick Gray, TPWD's Archery Coordinator, emphasized the inclusive nature of the competition, "The National Archery in the Schools Program engages students of all ages, genders, and athletic or academic ability," he stated. Highlighting the level playing field of the competition, Gray added, "Students all use the same equipment, school-owned bows with no sights and no mechanical accessories, so it's all about their abilities, not the gear." Considering the spirit of equality, the program has drawn notably high female participation with 45 percent of this year’s contestants coming from the fairer sex.
The stakes are high as the state tournament doubles as a gateway to the NASP® National Tournament, with lucrative scholarships and shiny trophies on the line. The event will not only test the skills of the young archers from diverse schools but it will definitively award $45,000 in scholarships, courtesy of TX-NASP. Since 2006, more than $180,000 has found its way into the quivers of top-scoring high school student archers.
The tournament format promises not to fall short on excitement or rewards. The top five male and top five female high school archers are set to bag college scholarships. The best in each category will also receive trophies, medals, and new bows and arrows, with the first-place male and female archers in each division receiving Genesis bows. The high-scoring male and female archer will be handed a limited-edition Genesis bow. To further entice participation, door prize drawings are planned to occur throughout the event.
With the preliminary arrows already shot in the state qualifying tournament back in January, the competition has been whittled down from a field of more than 4,200 students from 188 schools. This filtering process ensures that only the finest aim to please the crowds come the weekend. Teams taking first place in each division at the state tournament automatically earn their spot at the national level. Other teams and individual winners placing 1st through 10th in each division also stand a chance to march onto Kentucky's stage, where they will represent Texas in the nationwide challenge.
The NASP® is a solid backbone of the hunter and bowhunter education initiatives and thrives on the generous support of its sponsors. It’s no bull's-eye guess that this year’s event is expected to draw record spectator numbers, as the archers nock their arrows and sight their targets in what's shaping up to be a not-to-be-missed display of precision, competition, and state pride.
