The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) has become the largest and most successful youth archery organization in the world. Since inception in 2002, more than 18 million students in 47 states and 11 other countries have enjoyed a safe and positive experience as a part of NASP.

In June of 2018, a steering committee of NASP graduates was assembled to discuss the idea of a NASP Alumni Association. After a very positive response from the steering committee, the decision was made by NASP leadership to move forward with a pilot program to establish an alumni effort among the 1 million archers who have experienced NASP in the state of Kentucky. NASP recently announced the selection of Courtnie Carr as its first-ever NASP Alumni Association Director.

About Courtnie Carr

Courtnie Carr is currently a senior at the University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Kentucky. She is a candidate this spring for a B.S. in Business Administration and a B. A. in Communication Arts.

Carr is a senior member of the UC Archery team, and was a member of the Western Hills H. S. NASP team in Frankfort, Kentucky. Her outstanding communication, technology and networking skills combined with her strong desire to see millions of NASP alumni reconnect with the program, should prove to be a very powerful combination in the development of an alumni association for KY NASP students and beyond. Her focus for the 2018/2019 school year will focus on the state of Kentucky.

Working for a Common Goal

NASP Vice President and General Manager Dr. Tommy Floyd said, “We continue to hear the urgency from the archery industry as well as among state DNRs about the current state of R3 (Recruitment, Retention, and Reactivation) and archery participation numbers. We know that NASP is working for conservation, education, and the archery industry, we now believe it is time to reach out to those individuals no longer in our program. Current NASP alumni represent millions of former participants, now ranging from 18 to 34 years of age. The opportunity to reconnect with these alumni and reintroduce them to available shooting opportunities and outdoor activities should be extremely attractive to many entities associated with the entire outdoor experience. We are hopeful that many of these entities recognize the potential of connecting with this group of young adults and will support this effort. We believe Courtnie will bring the energy and effort to make this dream into a reality!”

Dr. Floyd continued: “Following the steering committee meeting in June, it was obvious that this small group of alumni were very excited about reconnecting with something that brought them so much joy while in school. The first words from most of them were how they wanted to give back to those currently enrolled in the program! Many steering committee members attributed NASP as the driving force that led them to bowhunting and other forms of target archery during and after NASP. This supports our recent survey data regarding the influence of NASP. The dialogue was powerful, and we could not be more excited.”

NASP President Roy Grimes said, “In our 2017 student survey, more than 47 percent of NASP archers said that NASP was their first experience in archery. Another 19 percent reported their start in archery was due to a sibling or parent who was first in NASP. While most archery fans recognize the tremendous value of first-time archers, many in the archery industry have voiced excitement about the possibility of a NASP alumni association to engage millennials that now have the resources to make a variety of additional archery participation choices. This Kentucky pilot, to continue engagement with NASP alumni, will be closely evaluated with the hope that it will be rolled out beyond this states’ boundaries, just as NASP was 17 years ago.”

KY NASP Coordinator Lisa Frye added, “The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources strives to establish a strong R3 program using data to drive our education programs like NASP, Field to Fork, Hunter’s Legacy, Angler’s Legacy, and other strategies to recruit, retain, and reactivate sportsmen and sportswomen. We know that NASP has been a driving force in the increase of shooting sports participation nationally. We also know that the majority of students graduating from high school, having had the opportunity to participate in NASP, want to continue participating in archery and other outdoor related activities. With Courtnie organizing and gathering this alumni group, the possibilities are endless. I am so excited about the impact this could have on Kentucky’s R3 efforts and the archery industry.”

Click here for more details on the coming NASP Alumni Association and how to get involved.

For more information, visit www.naspschools.org.