By: Brittany Jones

As the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) conducted its World bulls-eye competition in Myrtle Beach, so too was the International Bowhunting Organization (IBO) conducting its World 3D Challenge.

The NASP®/IBO 3D Challenge (3D Challenge) was originally designed for the sixty-five percent of NASP® students who wanted to play the 3D archery game. These NASP® student archers wanted a more "realistic" experience. The 3D Challenge uses targets that are foam replicas of specific animals instead of multi-colored scoring rings. These foam targets simulate turkey, coyote, bear, antelope, deer, and bighorn Sheep made by Rinehart Targets. The archers use the same bows and arrows that they used in the bulls-eye competition, and they shoot from identical distances of ten to fifteen meters. The target's nine and ten-point scoring rings are exactly the same size as on the bulls-eye targets.

Attending this years NASP® World Tournament were 4,135 students, and 1,120 of those archers participated in the IBO/3D section of the event. The top five males, top five females, and top three teams in the elementary, middle, and high school divisions won medals, plaques, and trophies.

While the students and their on-looking family members love the exciting action, the competition was intense! Each archer shot 5 arrows for practice and 30 scored arrows. The top score possible was 300 points. Teams were comprised of 5-12 archers of mixed gender. The top 5 archer's scores were summed with the top possible being 1,500 points.

In the ES Division, Matthew Harper of Zanesville, Ohio received top honors by scoring a 290. Matthew is a third grader at Maysville Elementary. Caitlin Blair, was the overall female in the elementary division, with a score 291. Caitlin is from Lancaster, Ohio and is a fourth grader at Fairfield Christian Academy.

In the MS Division, the top male went to seventh grader, Henry Thompson, with a score of 297. Henry lives in Lawrenceburg, KY and attends Anderson Co. Middle School. Sixth grader Emma Bunch and seventh grader Lily Machart tied with a score of 291, in the MS female division. After a five-arrow tiebreaker, Emma Bunch received the top spot. Emma is from Benton, Louisiana and attends Benton Middle School.

In the HS school division, eleventh grader, Cole Luburgh and ninth grader, Garet Fyke both shot a 291, which lead to another, five-arrow tiebreaker. Garet of Duncan Falls, Ohio, received top honors, and he attends Philo High School. The top female in this division went to Tabitha Way, who shot a 291. She is an eleventh grader at Carolina Warriors Homeschool AR and lives in Chesnee, South Carolina. Congratulations to all of the winners!
The first place teams in each division were; East Elementary from Cullman, Al with 1,366 points, Benton Middle from Benton, Louisiana with 1,436 points, and Anamosa High from Anamosa, Iowa recorded 1,454 points.

A big thanks to South Carolina's Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) for providing most of the lane officials that made the event possible. As the 2016 World Tournaments come to a close, students prepare for the All-Stars Competition on July 10, 2016 in South Africa, while others begin preparing for their respective state and provincial tournaments next spring. The sponsors of the IBO made this event possible (www.ibo/sponsor.net). For more information regarding NASP® tournaments and sponsors and complete tournament results, please visit: www.nasparchery.org