PERRY — More than 600 students throughout the state competed March 21 in the sixth annual National Archery in the Schools Georgia State Tournament at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry.
The state’s top student archers from more than 40 elementary, middle and high schools convened in Perry for the tournament. The state tournament is coordinated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife Resources Division and is open to all Georgia schools enrolled in the National Archery in the Schools program.
At the state tournament, archery equipment and other awards were given to top individual archers. The top three teams in each division received plaques and archers were awarded medals.
Teams of 16-24 students from each school competed in three separate divisions: elementary (fourth through sixth grades), middle (seventh and eighth grades) and high (ninth through 12th grades). Archers shot at 10- and 15-meter intervals in six “flights.” An awards reception followed completion of the last flight.
Division winners and qualifiers will compete at the NASP National Tournament on May 11-12 in Louisville, Ky., where nearly 7,000 student archers from more than 35 states are expected to participate at the largest archery tournament in the world. 
“The support from local schools and communities has truly benefitted these students and the program,” Pittman said.