The 2020 National Archery in the Schools Program State Tournament is set to take place on March 13 and it will be held at Penn State College Multi-Sport Facility. It is shaping up to be the biggest student archery tournament ever held in Pennsylvania. The PA Game Commission is encouraging all schools participating in the program, referred to as NASP, to attend a state qualifier competition shoot.

Individuals and teams alike will need to shoot a qualifying score at one of many qualifying matches being held from October through February. The top scoring teams and individuals will then earn an invite to the state championships.

The NASP state tournament has been growing each year since its inception in 2011, and the March 13 tournament is expected to attract close to 1,000 students. Students from more than 45 schools across Pennsylvania are expected to participate.

The tournament should be a sight to see with 95 lanes, each with two archers, will be operating at once. About 9,000 arrows will fly each hour and somewhere near 50,000 arrows will be fired throughout the day.

Scholarships and prizes will be presented to the top performing archers in the state to help pay for their continued education.

Schools are reminded that they must shoot a qualifying score at a sanctioned state qualifier shoot. NASP helps school districts in PA meet physical-education curriculum requirements set by the state Department of Education and at the same time introduces students to the world of competitive archery shooting.

Tournaments are held at the state, national and international levels and Pennsylvania sent over 200 students to the 2019 national competition shoot which was held last year in Louisville, Kentucky.

To get NASP started in a Pa school and to get additional information about the program, contact the Pa Game Commission Headquarters at 717-787-4250 - ext 73330.

Illinois adds

hunter education

in schools!

Schools in the state of Illinois will have the option to provide hunter education as an in-class program or after school activity to students across the state. Signed into law by Governor Pritzker, the initiative is designed to strengthen hunter and firearm safety for students.

Other states that already offer hunter education in schools include, Iowa, South Dakota and North Carolina. For individuals who want to obtain their hunter education certificate, the NRA also offers a free online-hunter education course at www.nrahe.org. The course can be tailored to meet each state's hunter education requirements. Currently, Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon, Texas and West Virginia offer the NRA's free online course.

jack danchak is the President of the Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs of Sullivan County.