by: Brittany Jones
June 27, 2016
Waves weren’t the only thing hitting Myrtle Beach, South Carolina shores this past week as students, parents, and coaches from all over the United States and Canada, flocked like seagulls to the 2016 National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) World Tournament. The tournament took place at the Myrtle Beach Sports Center, where more than four thousand student archers participated at this year’s archery competition. Jessica Vanco, Assistant General Manager of the Sports Center offered, “The NASP 2016 World Tournament was the largest event to date at the Sports Center since our opening in March 2015. The mental energy, focus, and discipline of these young archers was very impressive and inspiring to watch. From the spectators to the coaches, their sportsmanship was commendable.”
The tournament began on June 23 and went through June 26. There were twenty-six flights and one hundred seventy-two students per flight. Of course, as usual, teams were made up of twelve to twenty-four students, with a minimum of four males or four females on each team. Participation totals this year were 4,135 for the bulls-eye and 1,120 in the 3D tournament. Forty-nine percent of the shooters were female and fifty-one percent were males, making this year’s female to male ratio the most balanced in NASP®’s 15-year history.
Archers and teams hailed from a wide range of states. In the Elementary Division, the top male shooter was Gavin Keirns, from Crooksville, Ohio. He attends Crooksville Elementary and scored 289. The top elementary female was Savannah Philpot, from London, KY. She attends Bush Elementary School, and her score was a whopping 295. Savannah established a new NASP® World Record for Elementary Female with this outstanding performance.
In the Middle School (M.S.) Division, the top male scorer was Chase Herndon with a 296. Chase is from Chauncey, West Virginia. He attends Beth Haven Christian School. The top female in this category was Ashlie Garrison with a score of 293. Ashlie attends Newburgh, Indiana’s Castle North Middle School.
In the High School (H.S.) division, the top males were Dalton Talbert and Caleb Stillians who tied with a score of 299 (29 tens). After the 5-arrow tiebreaker, Dalton Talbert took the top honors. Dalton is from Zanesville, Ohio, and he attends Maysville H.S. The top female in the H.S. division was Morgan Daily, with a score of 294. Morgan is from Evansville, Indiana, and attends Reitz Memorial High.
Finally, the overall championship shooters for female and male divisions were earned by Dalton Talbert and Savannah Philpot. Savannah has made NASP® history by being the first 5th grade student to achieve overall female archer for the entire 4-12th grade competition. Congratulations, Savannah!
The world tournament awards ceremony, sponsored by Academy Sports+ Outdoors, was kicked off by Myrtle Beach Mayor John Rhodes who announced, “We host a great number of sporting events, and without any question, the attendees at this archery tournament were some of the most respectful athletes our community has ever experienced… We will welcome NASP® back with open arms!” Everyone appreciated that this tournament was brought to Myrtle Beach due to strong support by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources.
As a non-profit, NASP®’s in-school archery instruction and events are made possible by a variety of medal-level sponsors including; Mathews, Mission, and Genesis Archery, Morrell Targets, Easton Technical Products, Gordon Composites, National Wild Turkey Federation, Easton Foundations, Cabela’s Outdoor Fund, Feradyne Outdoors, Rinehart Targets, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, & EA Promotions. For a complete list of NASP® sponsors see their website.
Only one tournament remains in NASP®’s 2016 tournament series. The NASP®/IBO 3D Outdoor World Challenge will be held August 12-14 at Seven Springs Resort, Seven Springs, PA (schedule here). In just a few weeks, the 2016-17 school year will begin and NASP® lessons for more than 2 million student archers will start again.
For more complete World Tournament results please visit their website.
