Passport to Texas

This is Passport to Texas

It’s true for many team and individual sports that unless you have a certain level of physical agility and strength you’re not going to excel…except if that sport is archery.

13—If you were a petite little fourth grader, you could shoot at the same time as the high school jock and you may win. So, it’s said that it is the only sport where boys and girls can compete at the same time on the same team.

Burnie Kessner is archery coordinator for Texas Parks and Wildlife. He says archery levels the playing field.

13—Physical ability doesn’t even matter. A young man at [one of] our state tournaments had Down’s Syndrome; he was on the shooting line with everybody else. At the national tournament, there was a young man who was visually impaired on the shooting line with everyone else who was not visually impaired. And, the only difference was, he had a sighted person standing a little behind him, giving him the cues, “a little higher, a little lower, left, right, shoot.” So, it’s an even playing field, and that’s one of the fundamentals of this program, is that the equipment is standardized. Everybody has the same equipment.

The Texas National Archery in the Schools program certifies teachers in one-day intensive workshops to teach the sport to students of all ages and abilities. Find details on the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

That’s our show… our series receives support from the Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration program Program…working to increase fishing, hunting, shooting and boating opportunities in Texas…For Texas Parks and Wildlife…I’m Cecilia Nasti.

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