Trad archery in school?

[lpcjon2]

My oldest son will be having archery in his senior year and I watched the kids shooting and was a little disappointed.He said that the teacher was just a gym teacher and had no experience in archery.    
 

  My question is does anyone know how to get trad archery in schools done right or has anyone opened up a clinic for kids and trad.I would like to do this.  

[koger]

I help coach our  local 4H club, has barebow compouond, hunter compound with alll the bells and whistles and recurve barebow for curves/lonngbows.  Check around, lots of grant money avialable for 4H!

[Buckeye Trad Hunter]

We had pretty much the same thing at my school.  We had old run down fiberglass longbows and arrows that were better suited for tomato stakes and when we actually got to shoot we went to the football field with the gym teacher.  He would stand around and watch people hopelessly fling arrows until some jackass would decide to shoot an arrow straight into the air and yell run (usually only took about 20 minutes) then that would be the end of archery for the year.

You may be able to contact the archery in the schools program and see what they could tell you.  I don't know anything about them but they may be able to point you the right way.

[Autumnarcher]

From what I understand at my sons high school, they have an archery club. Its pretty much the archery in schools program, and the only bows allowed are the Mathews Genesis compounds. Must be a nice market for Mathews.

I was trying to encourage my son to to get involved, but he said none of the bows are set up properly, poorly matched arrows, and a gym teacher for the instructor. He wanted to bring his longbow, and they would not allow  it because of that favorite word- liability. He elected to not join. Its too bad they push some kids away, who otherwise would love the competition and recreation of shooting a league.

I was disappointed that he would not be allowed to participate with his bow, as I thought he could provide a good introduction to traditional archery to the other kids. He is the only kid in his HS that shoots trad. even with all the ribbing and so forth, he holds his own, and has never once even considered switching to wheels due to peer pressure or any other reason. Trad to the core that boy is.

Of course archery leagues apart from a school sanctioned program would probably be free to allow anything they wanted.

[Ike 403]

NASP is a very good program but you have to use the equipment specified by NASP and have a NASP-trained instructor. My buddy's daughter wanted to shoot her longbow when the other kids were shooting during 'Archery Club' but she wasn't allowed.  

So, for learning the basics of International Target-style archery, it's wonderful. But if you wanted to focus primarily on trad shooting, your best bet would probably be 4-H, like Koger suggested or maybe your local hunting/sportsmans club.

[StanM]

I'm lucky enough to be able to teach an archery class in the middle school that I teach at.  We build fiberglass longbows mostly, but have done BBO's and a couple of takedowns.  This year we are trying a one-piece recurve.  It is a great experience for me and the kids.  I'm not sure what it would take to get that started at another school, but I know for me it was a matter of relating what we would be doing to core subject areas (math in measuring, f/d curves and calculations, history in research papers we write, and P.E.).  I then approached the principal with a curriculum laid out.  She was sold and helped me take it to the school board which approved of it.

[NDTerminator]

Things are definitely not what they used to be, but then again, in some ways they are.

When I was in HS back in the 70's, I shot archery class with my Shakespeare Sierra.  My buddies and I smoked everyone in the school, all but one gal who could match me shot for shot using a school bow.  Really nice chick, every now & then I wonder what became of her.

One evening I was shooting indoors at the Field House at Mankato State when the college's evening archery class came in.  After watching me shoot a bit, the instructor came over & struck up a conversation.  In short order the talk turned to spines, paradox, ect.  Long story short, the college instructor asked the long haired 17 year old HS jock archer to help teach his college level class...

[gregg dudley]

WHen you think about starting a youth archery program you need to think about sustainability.  ANyone can work on Genesis solocams.  On the other hand, I have seen traditional bows strung backwards at "pro shops."  NASP is a great program and a safe program. The best selling points are the curriculum, equipment, instruction and safety.  If a similar quality traditional program exists I am not aware of it.  

NASP adresses liability and equity with uniform and standard equipment.  Most of the people trained in NASP do not know much about other types of archery equipment.  For all of these reasons, NASP instructors are reluctant to allow anything outside of the parameters of the program.

[The Whittler]

Tim, maybe you should go to your sons school and see if the gym teacher would like some pointers. It's worth a try.

[smoke1953]

I think the introduction of archery in schools would be the important thing whether wheels or trad. Low costs and consistency likely drives these programs and the Genesis probably offers that.  Once instilled than natural curiosity will drive those with continued interest to the true spirit of the bow and arrow.

[getstonedprimitivebowhunt]

Yes kids are the future of hunting !

[wollelybugger]

The archery shop I go to has a Junior Olmypic program that has produced one Olympic gold medalist, Rodney White and a bunch of national champions. It is expensive because of the price of the bows and traveling.

[ballen28115]

I'm certified as an instructor by USA Archery, NFAA and Scouts.  I have taught kids on the Matthews Genesis, which is the same bow they use in the NASP, and I have taught kids to shoot on about every piece of junk "bow" that any given program owned.    I agree 100% with smoke1953.  Getting the program started and raising awareness is the goal, not fussing about whether a bow has wheels or not.  The Genesis is a great bow to teach kids with and create some excitement about the sport.  I am hardcore, old school stick and string, I taught my own kids on Black Rhinos and Herters Sambar Jrs.

Go out to  www.teacharchery.org  and check out getting certified as an instructor.  Once you do that, you get access to rental equipment, TD recurves and Genesis bows, at a pretty good rate.  If you are going to get involved and have concerns about the equipment you may have inherited from the tomato patch, this is a great way to upgrade for not a lot of money

[PAPA BEAR]

i was talking with the principal at my fiances sons high school about this subject a while back and was told it was to much of a liability issue.pretty sad.

[cobbow]

The man I am learning how to build bows from is a teacher at a middle school here in town. He has just started the NASP program in his school. The Genesis is the bow that has to be used to get the grant money and it is a nice little bow. It dosen't have any let off and has the same poundage at any draw length. This makes it great for kids that are differnt ages. I shoot one the other day and they are easy to shoot. You do have to aim them just like you would a long bow sights are not allowed at the meets.  It is just getting started in out town but the kids love it and more and more are goining in every year.

cobbow

[ballen28115]

Elkherder, there are statistics that demonstrate that archery is safer than football, basketball, and that most dangerous of activites - cheerleading.  I'm not joking, this is a safe sport.  I taught 200 kids with the aid of a couple of Boy Scouts last summer at my church.  The church was able to get a really reasonably priced rider on their liability policy.

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[PAPA BEAR]

ballen....i stressed these things to him but to no avail.

[Gary Logsdon]

Students benefit tremendously when these programs are run with enthusiasm and competence. Over 30 years ago I organized the first public school bowhunting and archery club in the state of KY.  The other sponsor and myself were certified IBEP instructors, which helped with our credibility; we had administrative and parental support.  Each fall we would organize a field trip to TVA's Land Between the Lakes so students could learn scouting techniques, outdoor photography,camping skills, etc.  Get this, every few years our principal would hire two substitute teachers to cover our regular classes so we could teach the IBEP course to the club members - all of them.  We cerified hundreds of students (and several parents) during this time.  Decades later I still have former students come up to me and say how much they enjoyed and appreciate those experiences.  One of their favorite memories was the three times I had my friend Byron Ferguson come up and shoot an exhibition for the students.  One year the HS principal dismissed classes for over an hour and sent the ENTIRE student body (1,200 kids) to the gym to watch Byron shoot.  I kind of miss the "good old days"!

[gregg dudley]

Elkherder.  I am a middle school principal and I have the program.  I won't call him unsolicited, but if he calls me I will give him the information and my perspective.  The school number is 352-291-7930.

The offer is good for anybody.

[rraming]

Almost 40 years ago when I was in grade school we had archery in gym class. They no longer teach it - it would be nice if kids were introduced to it at a younger age.