75 schools currently participate; additional students and instructors welcomed
With another school year underway, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries is seeking additional students for the Archery in Louisiana Schools (ALAS) program.
Since 2005, more than 400 basic archery instructors have been trained in the state, and 75 schools currently participate in the program, according to a news release.
Each March, ALAS participants gather for a state tournament to compete against their peers and potentially qualify for national and world tournaments.
In 2013, the event was held in the LSU Ag and Extension Service’s Mega Shelter in Alexandria and attracted more than 500 archers from 18 schools, and a crowd of 2,000 people.
Awards were given to the top three teams in each division, and the top five individuals in elementary, middle school and high school.
While some students develop an acumen for hunting, everyone has the opportunity to compete beyond high school and hone their skills based on practice dedicated to target shooting.
According to the press release, more students in the U.S. participated in the National Archery in the Schools Program in 2012 than in Little League Baseball. Currently 47 U.S. states participate, as well as six Canadian provinces and even countries like Botswana, Mongolia, South Africa, New Zealand and Australia.
Last year, almost 44,000 students participated in state tournaments and nearly 9,500 shot at the 2013 Nationals. And if anyone thinks this is just a boys’ sport, 43 percent of those shooters were female, the release states.
For more information on how to be a part of this program, click on a link to the LDWF’s website here, or contact Robert Stroede at 318-484-2276
