Archery levels playing field

By Libby Giebel

(Louisville, KY) The Academy for Individual Excellence (AIE) is now on summer break, but the students and teachers got a short break on May 16, when professional archer Jennie Richardson visited the school’s archery club. Read more about the AIE archery club.

Ms. Richardson is always willing to help others learn the sport that she has enjoyed from a young age.

“I have always been interested in archery, and when my grandfather whittled a bow for me I was able to play a sport again after being sidelined by my health,” explained Jennie Richardson, Kentucky state archery coordinator. “Students of any physique and gender compete on the line together. Archery really leveled the playing field”.

Her passion for the sport and why she has worked to introduce children to the activity stems from her own experience. After undergoing open heart surgery at a young age, Ms. Richardson wanted to participate in athletics, but she was unable to tolerate heavy exertion. She learned and experts agree that archery is a sport that enhances stamina, muscle memory, confidence and concentration without physical strain.

At a special breakfast, Ms. Richardson shared success stories and the benefits of archery with the AIE archery club. After the meal, she showed the high school what a lot of practice and determination can achieve by picking up the bow and hitting the target with precision,. splitting one arrow already stuck on the target with another arrow.

John Savage, executive director for AIE, was pleased with Ms. Richardson’s visit.

“Ms. Richardson amazed and intrigued the entire high school with her archery skills,” Mr. Savage said. “The archery club felt validated because she was able to show the students they could have a future in archery.”

She is no novice when it comes to shooting or teaching archery. She has won several national competitions and is also the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources Educational Administrator for the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP), which she helped start in 2001. She said she enjoys bringing the program to schools and educating others about the sport.

“I had three teachers come up and shake my hand after the demonstration. They had no idea archery could be implemented in so many educational ways. It helps with mathematics, social sciences and even overall classroom behavior,” Ms. Richardson said.

NASP promotes participation and student education from fourth grade through high school. AIE has many opportunities for students to participate in athletics, but every child can excel in archery no matter the skill level.

“We have many students participating in the archery club that were not part of an athletic team,” Mr. Savage said. “The archery club provides a unique opportunity for the students to get involved in athletics. They are gaining new friends, but most importantly, the students are gaining confidence.”

Some may think archery is a dangerous sport, but according to the NASP website, Ping-Pong is the only ball-sport with fewer accidents than archery. Trained coaches, equipment built for youth and blunt arrows ensure the students’ safety.

AIE is not the only school with an archery program. Currently one in three Kentucky schools has adopted it, and in 2006, an estimated 1.4 million youth in the United States have participated as a result of the NASP.

Ms. Richards praised the school saying, “The Academy for Individual Excellence is unbelievable. The staff and students were great. It was a positive experience for the Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.”

AIE is a ResCare-owned private school that offers educational services to students pre-school through twelfth grade. The program enables students of various behavioral and emotional levels to learn from one another in the classroom. Just like NASP, the Academy encourages students to continue to set, reach and master his or her goals.