Moffat middle and high school students recently competed in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) Colorado State Virtual Tournament. The tournament gives every student who participates in the NASP curriculum during Physical Education classes the chance to demonstrate their skills and compete with other archers around the state. Schools participate in the tournament by holding a formal competition on their school’s grounds using NASP Tournament Rules. Archers shoot a total of 30 arrows from distances of 10 and 15 meters. Individuals shoot for a possible 300 points and the top 12 scores from teams are compiled for a possible 3600 points. 

The Colorado State Virtual Tournament started in 2015. This year 11 schools with a total of 249 archers participated across the state from 4th through 10th grade. Participation has been impacted by the COVID-19 Pandemic, remote learning, and diminished opportunity for site-based coaching.  Moffat coach Jack Sciacca recalled the events of the past 12 months, “Last year we had five archers qualify for the Nationals. The tournament was cancelled due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in March of 2020.  We were fortunate to be able to facilitate in-person learning for most of this school year. Sanitation procedures, lane spacing and cohort isolation have been challenging but we are grateful to be able to continue on with our sport. Our archers are showcasing tremendous growth.  We are happy to see that the Nationals will be held, albeit virtually this season.”

First place teams in each division are invited to participate in the 2021 NASP® Virtual National Tournament that will be held April 18th through May 8th. The top 10 male and top 10 female archers in each division also qualify for Nationals as individuals. The Moffat Middle School Team placed first in the tournament, securing a berth at the National tournament.  Moffat archers won individual championships in three of the six divisions.  This year, Moffat has 24 individual archers qualified to compete at Nationals.

When asked about his secret to success, Coach Willlam Shellabarger states, “Once archers have a strong foundation, I simply remind them to ‘stay in the zone’. Focus and mind control is very important.”