DENVER - Four schools and twenty-three students who participated in the first 2015 Colorado National Archery in the Schools Program Virtual Archery Tournament are slated for recognition during awards ceremonies this month held in Aurora, Colorado Springs, Fountain and Grand Junction.

"When students find success in archery their self-confidence carries over to other aspects of their lives," said Cheryl Duey, a physical education teacher and archery coach at Laredo Middle School in Aurora.

Cathy Brons, who coordinated the Colorado NASP Virtual Archery Tournament agrees.

"The tournament supports the value of consistent effort in working toward a common goal," said Brons. "Archery teams and students develop a sense of shared purpose and camaraderie through participation."

Colorado Parks and Wildlife hosted the virtual tournament in February, as a part of the Colorado Archery in the Schools Program, at participating schools staffed with a certified Basic Archery Instructor.

Duey, who has been certified since 2007, said the national curriculum helped Laredo Middle School meet state physical education standards.

The grant money from Colorado Parks and Wildlife helped the school purchase new targets, compound bows, and other equipment needed to run a successful archery program.

CPW hopes to educate and inspire future generations through sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities like archery.

Colorado's program works for students and parents alike.

"Students ask me about other archery opportunities outside of school and parents call to find out about what equipment to get their kids," added Duey. "One dad said after two of his kids went through Laredo Middle School's Archery Program, he and his wife were getting a bow so they could take up archery and hunting as a family."

Seventy-eight archers from five Colorado schools, shot a total of 30 arrows from distances of 10 and 15 meters. The archers shot for a total possible individual score of 300 points and a total possible team score of 3600 points. Teams were comprised of 12-24 members with the top 12 individual scores making up the team score.

Top-scoring schools include Aragon Elementary School in Fountain, Banning Lewis Ranch Academy in Colorado Springs, Laredo Middle School in Aurora and Messiah Lutheran School in Grand Junction.

Jonathan Alfaro and Morgan Dusek from Laredo Middle School earned the highest overall scores, for male and female champion, respectively with scores of 251 and 233.

Students who will move on to compete at the NASP 2015 National Tournament in Louisville, KY, May 7 to 9 include:

Breanna Brennan (Laredo Middle School), 8th grade, middle division, Harrison Bliss (Banning Lewis Ranch Academy), 5th grade, elementary divisionMakayla Starkey (Banning Lewis Ranch Academy), 8th grade, middle divisionEvan Emmerson (Banning Lewis Ranch Academy), 5th grade, elementary divisionEmma Starkey (Banning Lewis Ranch Academy), 4th grade, elementary divisionConrad Brownsberger (Banning Lewis Ranch Academy), 5th grade, elementary divisionMikayla Hutchison (Banning Lewis Ranch Academy), 6th grade, middle divisionSusbiel Quinones (Aragon Elementary School), 5th grade, elementary division, Apryl Snow (Aragon Elementary School), 5th grade, elementary division.

The following award ceremonies are scheduled:

April 20, 8:00 a.m. at Aragon Elementray School in Fountain,April 20, 3:00 p.m. at Banning Lewis Ranch Academy in Colorado Springs, April 22, 9:55 a.m. at Laredo Middle School in Aurora.

The ceremony for Messiah Lutheran School in Grand Junction is to be determined.

The Colorado Archery in the Schools Program trains educators across Colorado to incorporate international-style target archery into the physical education curriculum. Colorado Archery in the Schools Program Equipment Grant applications will be available this fall. The next tournament is slated for February 2016.

Go to http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/TR-Archery.aspx for more information about funding opportunitites and competition requirements.

CPW is an enterprise agency, relying primarily on license sales, state parks fees and registration fees to support its operations including 42 state parks and state wildlife areas covering more than 900,000 acres, big-game management, hunting, fishing, wildlife watching, camping, motorized and non-motorized trails, boating and outdoor education. CPW's work contributes approximately six billion dollars in total economic impact annually throughout Colorado.

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