Will 3D Archery Become the Next Big College Splash?

Back in April we had a story about the University of Montevallo expanding its outdoors offerings for students in a really cool program, and now comes news about another opportunity for young archers.

The Indiana State Championship attracted a good group of shooters who were introduced to the Scholastic Archery Association. (Photo: Amy Haley Photography)
The Indiana State Championship attracted a good group of shooters who were introduced to the Scholastic Archery Association. (Photo: Amy Haley Photography)

Campbellsville University in Kentucky is adding archery as a co-ed sport and will be lining up 3D competitions against other participating universities. Among those are Bethel University, which has a nationally renowned bass fishing program, and this addition of yet another university tapping into the outdoors industry is pretty darn neat.

Bravo to Campbellsville and the others throughout the country who are helping young men and women. The co-ed 3D competitions Campbellsville is looking to participate in are part of the Schlastic Archery Association. It says the SAA is a natural step for competitive archers in the National Archery in Schools program, which began in Kentucky, and I agree. With college programs available for these NASP shooters and other bowhunters who may be joining the 3D ranks late, it’s only fitting that the industry helps support them.

Here’s the press release from Campbellsville, and good luck to them and the other schools:

Campbellsville University will join Union College, Midway College, Kentucky Christian University, University of the Cumberlands and Bethel University of Tennessee to offer coed competitive 3D archery programs.

Students involved with S3DA will now have even more opportunities to earn college scholarships in competitive archery. S3DA archers received more than $300,000 in college scholarships during the 2015 season at regionals, states, and national tournaments.

As many colleges across the United States add archery to their varsity sports programs, the opportunities for students to attend college on archery scholarships is increasing. The newest addition is Campbellsville University, where Larry Creason will coach the Tigers’ first team. Campbellsville hopes to join the United States Collegiate Archery Association to compete in sanctioned tournaments.

Creason, an assistant professor of Criminal Justice at CU, has been interested in shooting a bow since childhood and became an active bowhunter in 1986. Creason takes over a program introduced June 3 by Director of Athletics Rusty Hollingsworth.

“We are excited to begin offering co-ed archery as our newest sport this fall,” Hollingsworth said. “Larry has experience with competitive archery, holds certification as an instructor and will receive his Level II certification this summer.”

Started in December 2012 by the Scholastic Archery Association, S3DA provides 3-D archery opportunities for youth in afterschool settings, as well as with archery-affiliated clubs and businesses in their communities. S3DA places special emphasis on archery education, conservation, and bowhunting. S3DA has grown exponentially as a next step program to follow introductory programs offered as part of 4-H or the National Archery in Schools Program.

S3DA addresses the need for a program to bridge beginning target archery experience and more advanced activities such as 3-D shooting and bowhunting. The program currently operates in 23 states with hundreds of certified coaches serving thousands of young archers, grades 3–12.

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