Tuesday, June 03, 2008
2 Timesland schools gain NASP honors
Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor's Outdoors column and notebook appears regularly in The Roanoke Times.
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Two Roanoke area schools were honored last week for their performance in Virginia's National Archery in the Schools state tournament.
Northside Middle School was the top middle school in the state. Hidden Valley High School's team was second in the high school division.
The state championship was unique in that teams didn't travel to a central tournament site, instead shooting for scores on standardized courses.
The teams did travel to the recent NASP national championships in Kentucky, and there they got a chance to see just how good young archers can become with practice.
Virginia was the 29th state to establish a National Archery in the Schools Program, and the program just finished its second year. Just over 150 schools in Virginia have started NASP teams.
By comparison, Kentucky's program was established in 2002 and now has more than 800 participating schools.
Against the more experienced shooters, the teams from Hidden Valley and Northside struggled. In the team competition, Hidden Valley ended up 52nd of 53 teams, while Northside was 46th of 47 teams.
Again, the Virginia shooters are just getting rolling.
Karen Holson, coordinator of Virginia's program, said 80 percent of the shooters on the Northside and Hidden Valley teams hadn't even shot a bow until they got the opportunity through the school programs. So they're going to keep getting better.
Holson, who is an outdoor education specialist with the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, said the goal for the Virginia program is to add 100 schools a year to the program. She said she would be training instructors from three new schools next week.
Educators interested in establishing an archery program at their school can contact Holson by e-mail at karen.holson@dgif.virginia.gov or phone at (804) 367-6355.
For more information on the National Archery in the Schools Program visit archeryintheschools.org.
River rambling in Franklin County
As Franklin County's big paddling weekend looms, the man who helped launch the Pigg River Ramble and the associated events has his eyes on the forecast.
"We need rain," said Scott Martin, director of Franklin County's Department of Commerce and Leisure Services.
Despite relatively decent rainfall in May, flows in the Pigg and Blackwater rivers are below normal. And while the rivers are passable by boat, bigger water typically translates to bigger fun.
Martin is aware that thunderstorms are in the forecast this week.
"All you need is one of them at the right time," he said.
The weekend's events kick off Friday with the Blackwater Blackout night trip on a short section of that stream. Registration starts at 6 p.m. with paddlers get rolling at dusk. The entry fee is $10.
To light their way, paddlers have been known to try some creative things, including duct taping Tiki torches to their canoe's gunwales.
"It's hilarious," Martin said of the Blackout, which drew 120 boaters last year.
The Pigg River Ramble gets rolling Saturday morning at 10:30 a.m. from its normal launching area at Waid Recreation Area just outside Rocky Mount. Registration starts at 7 a.m. The entry fee is $20.
In its seventh year, the Ramble offers categories for racers and "floaters," and includes a judged class for themed entries.
Last year the event drew 220 participants.
Martin said vendors, including Appomattox River Company and Back Country Ski and Sports, will have displays at the park.
The final event is the Breakfast on the Blackwater trip Sunday morning. It starts bright and early at 7:30 a.m., which may be why last year's event drew just 45 boaters.
There's new incentive to get up and on the water early this year. Martin said a new offering is a raffle for paddlers who participate in all three events. Top prize is a kayak. Odds for winning could be good.
"We usually have only 20 or 30 people do all three," Martin said.
Additional information on the events, as well as entry forms, is available at historicrockymount.com.
