Maysville High School Takes Top Honors at State Archery Tournament in Ohio
OutdoorHub 03.06.13
Maysville High School (Zanesville) won the 2013 Ohio National Archery in the Schools (NASP) State Tournament on Friday, March 1, with a score of 3,397 points, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR).
The 2013 NASP tournament was held at Franklin County Veterans Memorial in conjunction with the Arnold Sports Festival, the annual fitness event developed by former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. The ODNR Division of Wildlife coordinates the Ohio NASP tournament.
“NASP is currently taught in 620 Ohio schools, and this curriculum emphasizes archery safety in addition to improving the concentration, self-esteem and confidence of the students who participate,” said ODNR Director James Zehringer. “ODNR hosts one of the largest NASP tournaments in the nation, and we want to encourage Ohio’s young archers to continue showcasing their talents.”
The top male and female archers were determined by a shoot-off between the top three boys and top three girls from each division — elementary, middle school and high school. At the conclusion of the shoot-off, Clay Williams, a freshman at Philo High School, and Katie Ruffner, a sophomore at Logan High School, were announced as the overall male and female champions.
Hocking College in Nelsonville offered scholarships to the first, second and third place individual finishers by final score. Waynedale High School received this year’s spirit award for demonstrating enthusiasm and sportsmanship during the competition.
A total of 1,446 archers from 78 teams competed in the 2013 tournament, which is an increase from 1,319 archers last year. Each competitor could score a maximum of 300 points by shooting arrows as close to the center of a target as possible.
Awards were given for teams and individuals with high scores in the elementary, middle school and high school divisions. Thirty-four Ohio teams received qualifying scores, making them eligible to participate in the NASP National Invitational Tournament, which will be held May 10-11, in Louisville, Ky.
Ohio was the 10th state to participate in NASP. The ODNR Division of Wildlife introduced NASP in 2004 with 12 pilot schools. Statewide expansion of the program began in January 2005, and 2005-2006 was the program’s first full academic year. Growth in NASP has continued across the state, and more than half of Ohio’s 88 counties currently have at least one school participating in NASP. Last year, more than 1,300 students participated in the 2012 Ohio NASP State Tournament.
NASP is used to teach target archery in a school’s gym. The curriculum covers archery, safety, equipment, technique, concentration skills and self-improvement. Visit ohionasp.com for more information about the program.
