ATA Donates $50,000 to Help Introduce Florida Youth to Archery

The Archery Trade Association donated $50,000 to the National Alliance for the Development of Archery (NADA) to ensure young people living near the new Easton-Newberry Sports Complex and Archery Center in Newberry, Fla., discover archery and find their way to the $3.5 million world-class facility.

"We want to make sure kids and families in surrounding communities are not only aware of this great place, but shoot archery there for years to come," said Jay McAninch, president/CEO of the ATA, who attended the center's grand opening this fall.

McAninch lauded the collective efforts by the facility's partners in creating the facility:

• Easton Sports Development Foundation (ESDF)
• Newberry Parks and Recreation Department (NPRD)
• Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FFWC)
• NADA

Doug Engh, NADA's executive director, said his group used the ATA's $50,000 gift to buy and outfit a Chevy van as a mobile archery-training vehicle. The van carries several racks of bows, archery equipment and promotional materials. Ginger Hopwood, a well-known archery instructor from Atlanta, will go on the road to conduct lessons, set up new clubs, and conduct archery demonstrations and Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) programs.

"The archery center itself is a stationary hub in Newberry, so our directive from the ATA was to create an outreach program for families in the surrounding communities," Engh said. "We'll have a training schedule for the entire area, and we'll hold regular events at the center. We want this place to be a regular destination for archers of all ages."

McAninch said the center's conception and construction shows what's possible when public and private groups form partnerships to make archery a mainstream sport in America.

"It's thrilling to see such broad support at the community, state and national levels," McAninch said. "This is not only an incredible facility for Newberry, but also for Florida and the southeastern United States. It fulfills Jim Easton's dream of establishing a regional archery center that strengthens the U.S. Olympic archery program."

The ESDF donated $1.5 million toward the project, and the Suwannee River Water Management District donated the land. The project also received $100,000 from the FFWC, and several in-kind contributions from local businesses.