Beginning with the 2012-13 school year Kentucky students will have the opportunity to compete for a Kentucky High School Athletic Association state championship in archery.

The KHSAA will add archery as a varsity sport-activity starting this year, Commissioner Julian Tackett announced Aug. 23.

Archery joins competitive cheer and bass fishing, which are holding their first KHSAA-sanctioned state championships in late January and April, as the newest sport-activities offered by the Association. Kentucky becomes one of the first states nationally to offer archery as a varsity sport-activity. Regional and state competitions will take place in late February and early March.

“We are thrilled to be able to add archery to our growing list of sport-activities,” Tackett said. “It’s another activity that seems like a perfect fit as it adds a group of students who may not already participate in an extra-curricular activity representing their school and it gives them a chance to compete and become a part of a team.

“Kentucky’s rich outdoor heritage certainly helps but the work done by Roy Grimes, President of the National Archery in the Schools Program, and his team of experts in helping the sport reach a wider audience has been phenomenal. Students who have participated have a lifelong love for archery.”

The NASP program, launched by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources in 2002, quickly gained widespread popularity. Kentucky ranks No. 1 among 47 NASP states in both number of participating schools and students.

“Expansion of NASP will accelerate as students of all shapes, sizes, backgrounds and genders enjoy success in archery,” said Ches Riddle, President of the Kentucky NASP Foundation.

The first KHSAA sanctioned archery championship will be  in Louisville at the Kentucky International Convention Center in conjunction with the KYNASP tournament March 18-19. The venue has already played host to numerous high school and middle school competitions, including last year’s state NASP state competition, which attracted more than 3,000 competitors. More than 10,000 students statewide participated in school sponsored club teams last year at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

More information about the National Archery in the Schools Program may be found at www.archeryintheschools.org