What is NASP?
The National Archery in the Schools Program is an in-school program that promotes the teaching of international-style archery. The program is a cooperative effort between conservation agencies, state Departments of Education, local school districts and archery enthusiasts. The South Dakota program is spearheaded by the S.D. Department of Game, Fish and Parks in cooperation with the S.D. Department of Education.
Thematic units of study are provided to schools adopting the program so the concepts of archery can be taught across the curriculum. Study units available include science, reading, social studies and math. These units have been correlated to match the South Dakota Content Standards at various grade levels. All training to safely incorporate archery in the schools is provided by GFP at no charge.
History of NASP
NASP was co-created by individuals within the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, the Kentucky Department of Education and Matthews Archery in Sparta Wis. This group hoped to create a program that would inspire students of all sizes, genders, backgrounds and abilities to improve their performance at school while learning a skill that promotes appreciation and participation in outdoor activities among young people. NASP was launched in Kentucky in 2002 and has now spread to 42 states and Australia. South Dakota became the 42nd state to launch NASP as of Feb. 19, 2007.
Is archery in the schools safe?
Archery has been part of countless introductory programs including schools, summer camps, youth organizations and community recreational programs. Archery ranks as one of the safest activities offered in any organized group setting. In the history of NASP, there has never been a shooting-related injury in the program. The following table for injury data is for participants in youth sports in 2004. With this information, you can judge for yourself the safety of archery.
SPORTS PARTICIPATION AND INJURY RATES
“Archery is probably the safest thing we’ve done in our phys-ed classes. Not one person has been sent to the office for an injury. For most activities, we send down at least one student a day for a turned ankle, jammed finger or an elbow to the face. With archery, no one has ever been hurt. When you’re playing football or basketball, and dealing with large and small kids or eighth-graders playing with sixth-graders, kids get hurt when running over each other. Archery is an individual sport, so you don’t worry about someone’s aggressive behavior.”
Joey Chilton, Wellness Instructor
East Hickman Middle School, Lyles, Tenn.
Table: Injury data for participants in youth sports in 2004
|
|
actual number of cases**** |
Estimated number of cases*** |
Estimated Number of Participants** |
Injury rates per 1,000 participants* |
|
Football |
11,863 |
393,088 |
16,436,000 |
23.92 |
|
Basketball |
15,963 |
557,815 |
34,223,000 |
16.30 |
|
Baseball |
4,050 |
154,873 |
9,694,000 |
15.98 |
|
Wrestling |
837 |
32,691 |
2,303,000 |
14.19 |
|
Soccer |
4,819 |
171,276 |
15,900,000 |
10.17 |
|
Ice Hockey |
548 |
20,211 |
1,998,000 |
10.12 |
|
Softball |
2,634 |
112,656 |
16,324,000 |
6.90 |
|
Cheerleading |
763 |
28,107 |
4,131,000 |
6.80 |
|
Gymnastics |
967 |
30,820 |
5,273,000 |
5.84 |
|
Horseback riding |
1,670 |
74,842 |
14,695,000 |
5.09 |
|
Volleyball |
1,350 |
55,824 |
22,216,000 |
2.51 |
|
Inline skating |
991 |
37,284 |
17,348,000 |
2.15 |
|
Ice skating |
570 |
19,589 |
14,692,000 |
1.33 |
|
Golf |
770 |
33,100 |
25,723,000 |
1.29 |
|
Fishing |
1,164 |
60,977 |
47,906,000 |
1.27 |
|
Tennis |
508 |
21,219 |
18,346,000 |
1.16 |
|
Archery |
82 |
4,373 |
6,756,000 |
0.65 |
|
Bowling |
382 |
16,405 |
53,603,000 |
0.31 |
|
Badminton |
42 |
1,843 |
6,432,000 |
0.29 |
|
Table tennis |
37 |
1,347 |
14,286,000 |
0.09 |
****These data are from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System and represent the hospitals which actually record the information.
***These data are from National Electronic Injury Surveillance and represent estimated nationwide injuries based on samples.
**These data are from the Sporting Good Manufacturers Association International ages 6 and older who have participated at least once per year.
*This rate was calculated by dividing the number of estimated cases by the number of participants and multiplied by 1,000. The National Safety Council discourages this calculation because the frequency and duration of participation of each sport is not known.
Information courtesy of the National Archery in the Schools Program
How can my school get involved?
For more information contact NASP State Coordinator Curt Robertson at (605) 773-4506 or e-mail at curt.robertson@state.sd.us.