Archery is the oldest popular sport still widely practiced around the world. Arrows 60,000 years old have been found in South Africa.

In the U.S. alone there are an estimated 9.9 million bowhunters, 17.6 million recreational archers and 5.4 million competitive archers. An increasingly popular Olympic sport, the archery competition begins in Paris on Thursday, July 25^th and runs through Sunday, August 4^th. Both NBC and Peacock will broadcast all the events.

More than 2,000 archers from around the country are competing in the Easton Hoyt Pro/Am Archery Shooters Association’s multi-event competition that runs through Sunday at Camp Minden. The association’s “Pro Pressure Point Shootdown”, which features 3D targets, will be held at the Bossier Civic Center at 3 p.m. this Saturday. Both amateurs and professionals will compete at all levels of difficulty. This is Northwest Louisiana’s third year in a row to host this prestigious competition. All events are free and offer enthusiasts and the just-plain curious a firsthand look at some of the best “bowmen” in the world. For a complete schedule, go to https://asaarchery.com/events/easton-hoyt-pro-am/.

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries supports Archery in Louisiana Schools (ALAS), a part of the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). Terrie Streetman coaches archery at Benton Middle School, which has a solid record of winning ALAS championship titles.

“Benton Middle School has held the ALAS State Bullseye tournament championship title from 2011 to the present and the International Bowhunting Organization (IBO) 3-D championship from 2016 to the present,” said Streetman. In 3D archery, the numerous targets’ height, angles and distance varies and the courses can sometimes be rugged.

“The Bossier Middle School Tigers hold three National Titles in bullseye (2016, 2019 and 2022) and one for IBO-3D. They are four-time World Champions for bullseye and five-time World Champions for IBO-3D (2016, 2019, 2021, 2022 and 2023).” The team is preparing for the NASP/IBO Western National tournament in Utah on April 27^th.

“We usually have twelve males and twelve females on the middle school team,” said Streetman. “NASP tournaments allow up to twenty-four archers on a bullseye team. Even though only the top twelve scores are calculated for a team score, at least four scores must be from the opposite gender. In our 3D competitions, they take the top six scores and at least two must be from the opposite gender.”

Archery lessons for ages eight and up are available at Hoot & Holler Training Academy. A wide range of equipment, targets, bow repair and other services are offered at the 10,000-square-foot facility according to owner Chip Hemphill. Employee Kyle Estep, who started archery at fifteen and has worked at Hoot & Holler for seven years, keeps fit with frequent practice. Archery burns calories, tones muscles, and improves concentration according to the World Field Archery Association.

The academy supports a Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) Club for ages eight to twenty that works to promote Olympic Archery, sportsmanship and competition in local, state, national and international competitions through monthly 30-arrow indoor rounds, virtual tournaments and other activities. The academy is preparing students for the USA Archery Target Nationals June 17th through 21^st in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

“Many archers have earned scholarships for their talent, and we have several from Bossier Middle School who have earned (up to) $15,000,” said Streetman. “Some have even joined local JOAD programs and been very successful. Archery is a lifelong sport that any age can enjoy. We are very blessed to work for a parish that encourages a variety of sports and clubs for our students.”