Virginia Sends 26 to Archery Academy

The ATA helped train 26 attendees as Level 2 instructors while promoting Community Archery Strategies during a two-day "Archery Academy" workshop at Doswell, Va., in mid-May.

ATA academies are joint programs hosted by the ATA and its agency partners, and made possible by an Easton Foundations grant. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) sponsored the Doswell program. The ATA and Easton Foundations often work together on projects to grow archery and bowhunting participation.

The Archery Academy is designed to help parks and recreation departments help mainstream the sports nationwide. The Academy trains archery instructors, develops archery and bowhunting programs, and helps communities learn how to build archery facilities. The ATA's "Explore Bowhunting" program is also included in each Academy.

Dee Falks of the Archery Shooters Association served as the Academy's main instructor at Doswell, with help from Sheri Rhodes, a master level coach with USA Archery. Also taking part were sisters Kit and Micki Flick of Amissville, Virginia, who are members of the Olympic Junior Dream Team.

At least 10 Virginia communities sent representatives to the Academy. In all, 22 of the 26 attendees were affiliated with parks-and-rec department in their hometowns. During a shooting competition, two representatives won fully equipped training kits for their communities.

For more information on archery in Virginia, contact Karen Holson, outdoor education supervisor for the VDGIF, and state coordinator for the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) in Richmond, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

For more information on the Archery Academy program, contact Jennifer Mazur, ATA coordinator of archery and bowhunting programs, at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it