Pennsylvania’s largest student archery competition set for March 11

Pennsylvania’s student archers have the 2022 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) State Tournament in their sights.

The 2022 NASP State Tournament will be held Friday, March 11, at the Penn State Multi-Sport Facility, in State College. After a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s shaping up to be the largest student archery tournament ever to be held in Pennsylvania. State qualifying completed last week and teams are making final preparations for the state championship.

“The tournament will be a sight to see,” said Game Commission NASP and Shooting Sports Outreach Coordinator Todd Holmes. “There are 95 lanes, with two archers in each, shooting at once. Nearly 9,000 arrows will fly each hour and about 60,000 arrows will be fired throughout the day. We’re so excited to be able to host the event again this year and look forward to a great state competition.”

More than $12,000 in scholarships and prizes will be distributed to the top performing archers in the state to help pay for continued education. Participating schools are reminded that they must shoot a qualifying score at a sanctioned state qualifier shoot to be eligible to compete. Registration can be found online at www.nasptournaments.org.

Since its inception in 2011, the NASP state tournament has been growing each year. This year’s tournament is estimated to include nearly 1,000 participants, with students from more than 50 schools expected to attend. The increase is representative of statewide growth in the program.

NASP, which started in Kentucky in 2002, came to Pennsylvania in 2005, and has since gained participants around the globe. The Game Commission began coordinating the program in 2010. To date, the program has expanded to more than 300 schools. Learn more about NASP in Pennsylvania at www.pgc.pa.gov.

NASP helps school districts meet physical-education curriculum requirements standards set by the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and at the same time introduces students to the world of competitive archery.

To get NASP started in a Pennsylvania school, contact Todd Holmes at the Pennsylvania Game Commission Headquarters by calling 717-787-4250 (ext. 73330). Follow Pennsylvania NASP on Facebook at www.facebook.com/PennNASP for updates throughout the competition.

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Contact: Travis Lau 717-705-6541 trlau@pa.gov