The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is inviting all schools participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) to register for Florida's Eighth Annual NASP State Tournament. The 2015 NASP State Tournament will once again be conducted as a live competition on Saturday, February 28 at the Easton Newberry Archery Center of Excellence in Newberry, Florida, as well as a virtual tournament format, where you can shoot for score at your own gymnasium or facility.

LIVE TOURNAMENT:
When: Saturday, February 28. The first flight begins at 9 am. Registration is limited to the first 350 archers to sign up. Late registrants may shoot for score in the virtual tournament.
Where: Easton Newberry Sports Complex, 24820 NW 16th Ave Newberry, Fl. 32669. The complex is located 12 miles west of Gainesville on U.S. Highway 41/27.

VIRTUAL TOURNAMENT:
Shooting at your school will take place between Saturday, February 7 and Saturday, February 21. All virtual tournament scorecards must be postmarked and returned to our office by Monday, February 23, or they will not be accepted.

Selecting a Team: Schools both live and virtual may enter teams in the following grade level divisions: Elementary (4 and 5), Middle (6 - 8), and High School (9 - 12). All-star teams comprising members from multiple schools violate NASP Tournament Guidelines. Team size per grade level division must be between 12-24 students with at least four of the team members being of the opposite gender.

Tournament Winners: Will be selected in each grade level with winners announced at the conclusion of the live tournament.

Awards: The top male and female archer in each grade level division receives an award. Additionally, each school with team placing first, second and third in an age division - Elementary (4 & 5), Middle (6 - 8), and/or High School (9 - 12), receives a trophy. Awards will be presented to winners shooting in the live tournament, or delivered to those schools participating virtually. National tournament bids to the 2015 NASP National Tournament in Louisville, Kentucky are awarded to the top male and female archers, as well as first place teams by age division and additional teams who meet the minimum qualifying score.

NEW FOR 2015

REGISTRATION FEE: Due to an increase in costs to administer the tournament, the registration fee has increased for the first time in seven (7) years to $10.00 per participating student in both the live and virtual tournaments. Even with this increase, Florida's registration fee remains the lowest in the Nation. Please make your check payable to the Wildlife Foundation of Florida and mail to the FL Fish & Wildlife Commission, NASP State Tournament, 3377 East US Highway 90, Lake City, FL 32055.

REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Teams and individuals registering for the 2015 NASP State Tournament will do so entirely online. This will allow you to make your flight selections (if you are competing virtually, be sure to select the virtual flight, it will take an unlimited number of shooters). It will allow us to post scores in real time to the NASP tournament website, and compile a list of winning teams and individuals once all cards have been scanned. Pre-registration starts on December 1, you can begin registering on December 15, 2014 at http://nasptournaments.org/tournamentdetail.aspx?tid=559. Scorecards will be mailed to schools participating in the virtual tournament after January 30, if we have received your check for $10 each per participating student. Be sure to register online by the cut-off date, January 30, 2015.

We have included a photo release form with this email which will allow us to take pictures of the students competing in the tournament with their parent's consent. Please make copies of this document and have the parents sign and return them to you. We will collect them at the registration desk at the live tournament, and we ask you to advise us if any parents decline to give their approval.
Tournament Results: Tournament results will be announced at the conclusion of the tournament, and posted online at the NASP Tournament site, as well as in the Spring Newsletter on FWC's website, http://MyFWC.com/NASP, by March 15, 2015. If the winners are present at the Easton-Newberry Park, they will receive their awards at that time. All other awards and t-shirts will be delivered to the remaining schools within the next two weeks.

Please refer to the enclosed document titled "2015 FL NASP State Championship Rules" for additional tournament information. If you need further information or assistance regarding your school archery program, please contact us by phone at 386 754-1654 or via e-mail at NASP@MyFWC.com.

We hope you will join us for the 2015 NASP Florida State Tournament. We now boast over 400 schools trained and thousands of safe, happy Florida kids enjoying archery in their P.E. classes. You make that happen for them, and we applaud each of you!


Shoot straight, and good luck in the tournament.
Steven R. Robbins
Florida NASP State Coordinator