Missouri FFA/High School Trap Championship draws 850 students

LINN CREEK, Mo.  -- More than 85,000 shots rang out from the Missouri Trapshooters Association home grounds in Linn Creek on April 27 for the 26th Annual Missouri FFA and High School Trap Championship. More than 850 students from all over the state participated.

“Despite the rainy weather, we saw several perfect scores and many 99s,” said Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) Education Outreach Coordinator Eric Edwards, who helped staff the event “We even had to have a shoot-off to decide placement in some divisions

because of all the 100-out-of-100 scores these kids put up today.”

Austin Harris of St. Charles, Nate Carl of Liberty, Jess Johnson of St. Charles, Jonathon Wolf of Washburn, and Taylor Kennemer of Logan all had perfect scores for the day, forcing a shoot-off to decide the top overall shooter. After an additional three rounds of 25 clay birds, Johnson from the Gateway Claybusters of St. Charles came out on top with a 175 for 175 score.

Top honors for the Ladies Division went to Cecilia Young of House Springs with a score of 99 out of 100. The top scoring team was Gateway Claybusters Team Orange with a score of 496 out of 500.

MDC provides scorers each year for this event to help the Missouri Trap Association produce one of the most popular shoots in the state.

“The dedication of these young people amazes me,” said Edwards. “Some are here just to have a good time and socialize with other kids from around the state, while others get very serious about the competition aspect. We had several shooters who will be going to college next year on full-ride scholarships to compete on a collegiate level in the shotgun sports.”

He added, “These outstanding youth along with their dedicated coaches, show that not only is Missouri a great place to hunt and fish, but a great place to enjoy shooting sports too!”

A complete list of scores can be found at http://www.motraps.com/2013youthINFO-HS.asp.

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More than 1,430 students compete in state archery tournament

Seth Pezley of Jefferson City and Shelby Winslow of Lee’s Summit were top scorers.

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The fifth annual Missouri National Archery in the Schools (MoNASP) state tournament, held March 22-23 at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, drew 1,438 student archers in grades 4-12 from 74 schools across the state. Despite a weather forecast predicting snow, the event drew more than 7,500 observers and supporters.

The top-scoring male student was Seth Pezley of St. Joseph Cathedral in Jefferson City with a score of 294

MoNASP Seth Pezley, Courtesy MDC

out of a possible 300. The top-scoring female student was Shelby Winslow of Summit Lakes Middle School in Lee’s Summit with a score of 287 out of 300. In addition to trophies, the two top scorers received Special Edition Genesis Bows.

Top-scoring teams and individuals, along with other teams and individuals who had qualifying scores, will go on to compete in the National Archery in the Schools (NASP) national tournament in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 10-11. A list of the almost 40 top-scoring teams and individuals who qualified for the national tournament, along with the nearly 80 individuals and teams who also had qualifying scores, is available at mdc.mo.gov/node/21559

MoNASP is coordinated through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Conservation Federation of Missouri in partnership with 290 participating schools and numerous supporting organizations throughout the state. MoNASP is an affiliate of NASP and promotes education, self-esteem and physical activity through the sport of archery to more than 63,000 participating Missouri students in grades 4-12.

“The growth of the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program has been tremendous over the past four years,” said MDC Education Outreach Coordinator Eric Edwards, who coordinates MoNASP. “This surge has led students outdoors with their families to participate in this lifetime sport. Many local conservation groups and civic organizations are also volunteering to help support MoNASP in their communities. Students are connecting with family members, coaches and teachers through archery. This connection and confidence gained through archery will spread into other parts of their lives.”

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More than 1,300 students to compete at state archery tournament

Courtesy MDC

JEFFERSON CITY Mo – More than 1,300 student archers from around the state will compete in the Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program (MoNASP) 2012 state tournament onMarch 24 in the Multipurpose Building at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg, 499 S. Washington Ave. The state tournament, which will begin at 8 a.m., is free to watch and open to the public.

MoNASP is a cooperative effort coordinated through the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) and the Conservation Federation of Missouri (CFM) in partnership with hundreds of schools and supporting organizations throughout the state. MoNASP is an affiliate of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) and promotes education, self-esteem and physical activity for students in grades 4-12 through participation in the sport of archery. More than 34,000 Missouri students from 208 schools participate in MoNASP. Since NASP's beginnings in 2002, more than 8.8 million students have participated in the program through more than 10,000 schools in 47 states and five countries.

According to MDC MoNASP Coordinator Eric Edwards, nearly all kids, regardless of age, size or physical ability, can succeed at archery.

“Kids love archery, and archery helps kids excel,” said Edwards. “Statistics show that school archery programs improve school attendance, increase participants’ self-esteem and physical activity, relate to learning subject matter, appeal to a great variety of students, get kids out-of-doors to discover nature, and can become an after-school activity.”

The state tournament follows regional tournaments held in St. Louis on Feb. 25, Willard in southwest Missouri and Cole Camp near Sedalia on March 3 and in Jefferson City on March 10. Student archers who shoot a qualifying score at the state tournament will earn a spot at the national tournament, May 11-12, in Louisville, Ky.

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