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National Archery in the Schools, archery contest

National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP)

NASP logo

The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is a joint venture between Departments of Natural Resources and Departments of Education (schools). Several archery equipment manufacturers and organizations are also partners. 

The program promotes student education and participation in the lifelong sport of Archery. The program's focus is to provide International style target archery training in physical education classes, for grades 4-12.




National Program History: The overall NASP® program began in Kentucky in 2002 with the training of 39 educators and 22 middle school pilot projects. Shortly afterwards many state agencies joined the program and NASP® was granted a 501 c(3) non-profit education foundation status. As the program has progressed, in a single school year, more than 2.34 million students participate nationwide. Since it's initial inception, 48 states, 9 provinces and 11 countries have participated in the program and is continuing to grow.

Department of Natural Resources Objective: Declining participation in hunting and the shooting sports threatens financial and public support for wildlife conservation. We expect many of these young people to make Archery a lifelong sport. Nationally, up to 81% of the participants reported buying their own archery equipment.

NASP® in Iowa: The National Archery in the Schools Program in Iowa is coordinated through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. There are over 230 Iowa schools participating in the in-school program annually and the program continues to grow. The Iowa DNR provides NASP® Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) training throughout the state to teachers and archery program organizers. BAI training is provided at no cost to teachers conducting NASP® programs as part of a 2 week in-school course. Volunteers wishing to attend the training can do so for a fee of $80.00. Iowa also offers an afterschool league program to schools who are also engaged in the in-school 2 week program. For more information on the afterschool league program visit our how to get started section.

Department of Education Objective: Engage more students in the educational process to improve classroom performance and reduce dropout rates. The national school dropout rate is 7%. Most students (88%) who drop out of school indicate they were not involved in extra-curricular activities. Archery taught by the NASP® is accessible to all students of nearly all age groups. Educators are reporting that the NASP® "engages the unengaged" and inspires students to greater achievement in school. In the 2019-2020 school year Iowa had 1,485 archers nominated for Academic Archers. An Academic Archer is a student who achieves their school's Honor Roll. Every Academic Archer is eligible for scholarships and prizes from NASP.

To see what youth are saying about the National Archery in the Schools Program, view the comprehensive study conducted by Responsive Management, a nationally recognized research firm.

Getting a program started in your school is easy! Below are the program requirements:

  • Interest: School administrator, athletic director and/or physical education teacher interested in running the program as part of a two week (minimum) in-school course. New School Checklist
  • Equipment: The cost of the Standard NSAP® Archery equipment kit is currently ~$3500. The Standard kit contains 12 Genesis compound bows, 5 dozen arrows, 5 bullseye targets, 1 arrow curtain, 1 bow rack and 1 repair kit. For more information on the equipment used in NASP®, go to http://www.naspschools.org/gear/ordering
  • Training: Anyone interested in teaching the minimum two week in school program must receive Basic Archery Instructor (BAI) Certification. This training is conducted through the Iowa DNR and is offered at no cost to school teachers leading two week in-school NASP® programs. For all other adults, the training is $80. Training consists of one full, 8 hour day and is typically conducted in a school gymnasium. New to 2020, an online portion is available followed by one, four-hour field day.
  • Once certified, BAI instructors also have the opportunity of starting an after-school program for students interested in shooting competitively. Many schools recruit parents and volunteers to assist school staff in coordinating a competitive NASP® program. The after school league season runs from December through the end of February, culminating with a state tournament in March.

For more information, please contact Zach Benttine, Archery Coordinator for the Iowa DNR at 515-205-8709 or at Zachary.Benttine@dnr.iowa.gov.

NASP® Basic Archery Instructor Training (BAI):
National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) instructor training is offered through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The NASP® course content is designed to teach archery instruction techniques to both archery novices as well as experienced archers. Course content includes range set up and safety, use of the string bow, eleven steps to archery success, coaching techniques, equipment nomenclature, inspection, operation, maintenance and repair.

Because NASP® archery classes are conducted in school gymnasiums, teachers may volunteer their school to host a NASP archery instructor training course. Many of these courses are conducted during district in-service sessions.

Basic Archery Instructor (BAI)
The Basic Archery Instructor is an instructor certified to teach NASP®-style archery to any beginning archer.

Requirements:

  • Be at least 18 years of age
  • Attend the full day BAI course scheduled through the Iowa DNR
  • Pass a written exam administered at the end of the training with a score of 80% or above
  • Training material cost is $80. Cost is covered by the Iowa DNR for Iowa school teachers conducting in-school NASP® programs

In addition to the training criteria above, all participants must pass a criminal background check conducted through the Iowa DNR. All personal information will remain confidential.

Attend a Class
Current training schedule and registration materials are available through NASP® National. Any applicable program fees should be paid via check or money order made out to "Iowa NASP" and brought to the class. Registration through naspbai.org is required. View upcoming class schedule and search for "Iowa" to find scheduled classes throughout the state. Can't find a class in your area? Contact Zach Benttine about hosting a training at your school.

NASP® Equipment Grant Opportunities

NASP®/Easton Foundation Grant
Grant information is announced by Iowa NASP® Coordinator, Zach Benttine, annually in September. Grants are given on a first come, first serve basis. To request a grant application please contact Zach Benttine at Zachary.Benttine@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-205-8709.

Protocol for NASP®/ Easton Foundation Equipment Grants

  • $10,000 is allocated per state with a $1,000 grant maximum to new schools who order the standard equipment kit.
  • Up to $2000 can be allocated to existing schools.
    • If existing schools order $800 in replacement items, the can receive a grant of up to $200 off their final invoice.
  • Funds must be allocated by March 31st annually.
  • Schools receiving grant funds must order equipment by no later than April 30th annually.

Schools across the country are discovering an exciting new program that hits the bullseye in meeting the physical education needs of their students. Through the Iowa National Archery in the Schools program, students are excelling in a lifetime unique sport of archery. Once schools complete the two week in-school target archery class, they have the opportunity to compete in our face to face after-school league program.

Currently we have over 110 Iowa schools participating in the after-school league program. No different than any other sport, these archers are traveling to other Iowa schools and competing in archery. Many schools attend the state tournament in Des Moines and have the opportunity to complete nationally after that!

If you have questions on how to start the after-school program in your area, contact the Iowa Archery in the Schools NASP® Coordinator at Zachary.Benttine@dnr.iowa.gov or 515-205-8709.

Face to Face NASP® Archery League - December 1, 2022 through February 20, 2023
Starting in December, all Iowa NASP® schools will be eligible to participate in the Iowa NASP® invitational league. This league will allow local schools to get together and conduct a competition-style NASP® shoot. Results from each competition will be recorded, and posted to the NASP® website creating a friendly, electronic competition. Top teams and individuals may be recognized during the local events by the host schools. Information regarding awards/recognition for participants at each event will be listed with the registration information.

Please contact Iowa DNR Archery Coordinator, Zach Benttine if you are interested in hosting or attending an Invitational League event, or view the links below for currently scheduled events or information on how to host your own NASP® league event.

Registration Information:
To register for an Iowa NASP® league event enroll your participants online at http://www.nasptournaments.org/
New coach or having trouble registering or adding events? View the tutorials at https://nasptournaments.org/help/tutorials.aspx

Volunteer Tracking Hours:
All Iowa Archery in the Schools volunteers are required to track their volunteer hours. Tracking volunteer hours is a requirement by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as an eligible in-kind match for the program funding used through the Wildlife Restoration Federal Grant. Practice/instructional hours only should be recorded. No competition hours will be accepted. Note: As of 09/02/19, the Iowa DNR is currently in the process of setting up collection of these volunteer hours electronically. More information will be provided at the annual coaches meeting in September.

The International Bowhunting Organization (IBO) and NASP® have joined forces to implement an additional shooting activity for school aged archers. The IBO NASP® 3D program was established in 2014 at the National Tournament where Iowa archers participated in the tournament. In 2015, we spoke with coaches and students about the program to gain their level of interest. We set up a mock trail of the IBO NASP® 3D range and allowed anyone interested to shoot on the 3D range at our state tournament. Iowa officially launched in 2016 with the first 3D state tournament at the Iowa State Fairground in the Jacobsen Building The 3D tournament took place in conjunction with the standard NASP® Bullseye tournament. Since then, the Iowa DNR has hosted an annual IBO NASP® 3D State Tournament at the Iowa State Fairgrounds and continues to see interest grow in this discipline.

Schools have the ability to participate in the IBO NASP® 3D program as long as their school partakes within the NASP® in-school program and NASP® after-school league program.

Statewide League Scheduling of Events:
All events are scheduled online using NASP PRO Tournament Software. If you need assistance scheduling a tournament, registering archers or running a tournament you can view NASP tutorials.

Scorecards and Target Faces are needed for each league event and can be purchased online at NASP Schools website.

Practice Scorecard

Hosting Tournaments

Official NASP Tournament Merchandise

NASP Merchandise

Contact Information

Zach Benttine
Iowa NASP® Coordinator
Zachary.Benttine@dnr.iowa.gov
515-205-8709

Iowa Archery in the Schools

Tournament Information

2023/2024 League, State & National Rules:
Iowa Bullseye Rules  
Iowa IBO 3D Rules

Volunteer Coaches:
Volunteer Hour Reporting Link

Required School Documents:
Iowa NASP® School Administrator Letter
Iowa NASP® Participant Waiver

2024 State Championships:
March 1-3, 2024
Iowa State Fairgrounds
Des Moines, IA 
2024 Tournament Guide

2023/2024 Senior Scholarship Applications:
Chuck "Coach" Hallier Memorial Scholarship - Deadline to Apply February 23. 

Senior Spotlights