COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – In 2021, USA Archery provided grant opportunities for Collegiate Archery Programs that totaled $110,000 in value and supported 18 programs. Through generous contributions from Easton Foundations, USA Archery provided grants to help establish 16 new programs, including six funded Varsity Teams, and two additional grants were awarded to pilot Intramural Archery Programs at schools with existing archery teams.
USA Archery’s Collegiate Archery Program fosters student-athletes to develop fundamental skills, compete for individual and national team championships and earn Academic and All-American awards. Collegiate Archery Programs can be varsity teams with scholarships, club sports or student organizations on campus. There are currently over 70 teams in the Collegiate Archery Program, which is rapidly expanding to new schools across the nation through USA Archery growth initiatives.
Schools that were awarded grants for new programs received equipment including targets, bows, arrows, safety net, accessories and maintenance kits and pre-paid registration to the USA Archery Online Level 2 Instructor Course. Grants were given to the following schools:
Livingstone College, a historically black college in North Carolina, is among the schools starting a new program: "I am very excited that Livingstone College is embarking on something exciting and new. Archery provides a different experience and opportunity for our students to engage in. This continues to add to our longstanding holistic approach at our institution," commented Dr. Jimmy R. Jenkins, Sr., Livingstone College's President.
"We are building our team from a small group of currently interested students. In addition, we are actively recruiting freshmen to participate in our new program for the fall. This will include providing scholarships. However, our approach is just like with our other sports, we want students who have a desire to excel in the classroom first before exceling in their sport," added Lamonte J. Massie-Sampson, Livingstone College Athletic Director.
Lindenwood University is also starting a new archery program headed by men’s golf coach Derek Shaub: “We actually started as a varsity program but this grant has allowed us to better allocate our resources to shoot more competitions and recruit even more great student athletes to grow our program,” commented Schaub. “We currently have a roster of 13 and expect have 25 or more next year. Thanks to USA Archery and their partners, we are going to be able to provide even more first-class experiences for the members of the Lindenwood University archery family. I cannot begin to express how grateful we are to all the sponsors and USA Archery for helping us grow the sport and specifically our team here at Lindenwood.”
USA Archery’s equipment kit and target grants were awarded to pilot Intramural programs at Connors State College and University of California San Diego. Connors State has a varsity team and UCSD has a well-established USA Archery collegiate club with a strong competitive history; these intramural pilot programs are backed by experienced leadership on campuses with strong support for the existing team programs.
The goal of the “pilot” intramural archery program is to evaluate a league format model which can be used to grow collegiate archery by introducing the sport to new audiences on campus in a fun and exciting way. We are excited to give students on a campus a new recreational opportunity to enhance their collegiate experience, introduce them to a lifetime sport they can continue beyond their college years, and for our existing competitive programs, increase the recruitment pipeline on campus.
Keaton Chia, USA Archery Level 5 NTS Coach at UC San Diego commented, "Archery is a popular activity at UC San Diego and over time it has expanded its presence on campus. There are clubs for traditional and target archers, a competitive team, recreation classes, and teaching opportunities as well as community classes and a Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) program. Each offers unique value to the student experience. Adding the intramural program from USA Archery enables us to bridge our educational and competitive programs. The memories gained while competing on a team are particularly special, however, not all students are able to participate. The intramural program allows more students to take that next step from learning archery, to 'playing' the sport with structured team competition right on campus. The generous grant from USA Archery provides us with the programming and equipment resources needed to offer this to our student community."
USA Archery will offer additional Collegiate Archery Program Grants in 2022; application details will be available in the coming months.
To find a Collegiate Archery Program near you, visit our club locator and filter for type: collegiate, and see important details including scholarship opportunities and contact information. Learn more about USA Archery Grant opportunities or contact [email protected] for more information.
< Back to All News
