Online petition for the UIL to include archery as a UIL sport in the schools in Texas!

https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/petition-for-the-uil-to-include-archery-as-a please sign the petition to get archery added as a UIL sport for the sake of the kids in Texas who attend public schools! As it currently stands, kids can participate in Adventures in Outdoor Education for only 1 year for graduation credit. If the UIL approves archery as a sport, then kids get 4 years to participate chasing their passion while becoming better students in the process! Please copy and share this link to all your social media as well! It is what is best for the kids in Texas who wish to pursue archery and outdoor activities! The kids are our future!

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Thank you all for your help and support! Let's get the word out to all organizations we can!

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Is LSBA on this matter as well?

This is for Texas UIL only.

I am avid in outdoors but not certain I support this. Everything doesn't have to be part of UIL in order to be legitimate.

Understand Leonardo. Just trying to give the kids the opportunity to participate for 4 years if they choose...and teaching them the proper way to make proposals if they would like to see things possibly changed.

I like what you are doing and hope you succeed. Seen some of your program ideas on here and would more than likely support the entire program. Good luck

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OK, I guess you may not know who LSBA is then. If its archery related and you want to get something like this handled in Texas, try contacting the LSBA - Lone Star Bowhunters Association. If you have not already talked to them about this, I would suggest doing so. They are a great group of bowhunters and could probably assist you in your efforts.
www.lonestarbowhunter.com/

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Thank you txhntr! Heading to Stephenville and the fine folks at Pigeon Road Archery to pick up our 3D targets we ordered for the kids. Going to be able to fully simulate the entire hunting experience for them at school.

Thanks Curtis!

It does if the school district is going to support it.

It is will be an uphill battle to get this passed in the UIL...everyone knows it. But, we are teaching kids and communities how to peacefully protest. That is way better than a Ferguson type protest. And worst case scenario, this petition can be taken in front of the State Board of Education in 2016 when the PE/Health PEIMS and courses are approved. The worst thing anyone can ever do is nothing.

Up to 138 signatures in the first 5 days! Please keep spreading the word!

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Thanks Stub!

Great idea. Any thoughts on how to fund and staff this program?

Fundraisers by the group that runs it. Set up a booster club. Host archery tourneys as fundraisers. Adventures in Outdoor Education via the Dallas Ecological Foundation helps provide some funding. Schools have Education Foundations that may be willing to help out with start-up costs. There are ways, but you have to have people who are willing to roll their sleeves up and go to work to make it happen.

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up to 166! It would be awesome if we could get this placed as a "sticky" at the top of each topic so that we could maybe get at least 1,000 signatures from THF members who may never venture to the open discussion forum. :-)

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Have you contacted the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) group for support or at least information they may have used to get this done in other states?
I don't know much about their organization but since they focus on school archery programs they may have a template for approaching the UIL that you can use.

Dan-O

Are you sure this is a good idea? I don't understand why you want UIL involved. All you need to do is contact NASP and get archery approved by the school district. Once UIL gets involved they take control to determine all rules, practice times, etc. I know there are a ton of schools competing in NASP right now, a huge state tournament, and teams that qualify for Nationals in Tennessee. I'm only speaking from being in education and coaching for 17 years and just recently got archery introduced at our school. They are even starting a 3-D division for those students interested in hunting scenarios along with target shooting.

I understand the credit statement you made. But UIL isn't going to affect that. A class would still have to be developed and either a CTE or elective credit is issued or worked into PE for a credit. For example, our school offers a course of Wildlife management where outdoor education is taught and archery is introduced. Students are also allowed and encouraged to come after school to shoot. Since we really only got going this year with archery, we haven't started to compete in tournaments as other schools have. Just not sure getting UIL involved is a good trade-off. They do some good things, but somehow it will come down to a way for them to make money or dictate how things must be run.

Just something to think about. Coach

Coachmas...there is a group working on getting a committee together for the 2016 SBOE PE/Health meetings to try to make changes there. We are in the first year as well, and have accumulated 21 Genesis bows and 12 targets through various means. We also have 8 donated crossbows that are geared more for the 3D target shooting...which we also will be doing soon. I picked up 13 3D targets this past weekend brand new. The petition probably won't go to the UIL, but the numbers from people who sign up as a show of support for archery will be very beneficial in meetings in 2016 where changes most likely can be made by the SBOE regarding PEIMS codes, etc...

If we can get modifications made where the SBOE will allow multiple years of Adventures in Outdoor Education for all kids, then problem solved. Right now, they just get one credit (one year) of AOE. The majority of the kids who participate in this class do not belong to UIL activities in any way. They need something they can do every day at school during the school day to help them stay in school. Whatever that solution may be, I am all for.

Good point. Thanks for what you are doing and trying get done. Coach

Both of my girls are in archery at school through NASP. This is there second year and they are both going to state! There is a very large amount of students at the Rains county schools in the archery program.

Signed, good luck.

We have 214 kids as of today in Outdoor Ed. All but 20 of them have shot NASP archery, and will do so again before the school year is over. Archery is the fastest growing sport in America. Last year...over 2.5 million kids participated in archery. That is the first year ever that more kids have done archery than little league baseball.

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