AHEIA NASP 2026

By Dave Paplawski
AHEIA NASP Coordinator - Alberta

2026 was an exceptionally busy tournament year in Alberta with 8052 archers participating in both land-based and virtual tournaments with the AHEIA NASP archery program, with a total of 17 tournaments taking place between January – April.

The 14 regional tournaments varied in size from 33 to 906 participants per tournament. Regional tournaments were scattered throughout the province, including: Spruce Grove, Smoky Lake, Edmonton, Hanna, Sherwood Park, Stettler, Altario, Westlock, Castor, Youngstown, Wetaskiwin, Bon Accord, Ardrossan and Southern Alberta. Well done!

AHEIA hosted both the AHEIA NASP Provincial Tournament in Edmonton and the Canadian NASP National Tournament in Wetaskiwin. The Provincial Tournament saw 1562 archers compete in the Target event and 599 archers in the 3D event, for a grand total of 2161 archers participating from 93 schools. Likewise, the Canadian NASP National Tournament saw 767 archers in the Target event and 493 archers compete in the 3D event, for a grand total of 1260 archers participating from 67 schools.

There are many Alberta NASP schools who have yet to participate in land-based and/or virtual tournaments, which would greatly enhance their archery programs in their schools. To prepare to participate in a tournament in Alberta, the following information is provided:

• Students must be from a certified AHEIA NASP school.
• There are three competitive divisions: Elementary (grades 4-5), Jr. High (grades 6-8) and High School (grades 9-12).
• Archers may compete as individuals, or on a team.
• Teams consist of 6-24 archers and must include male and female archers.
• 3D event consists of 35 arrows shot, 30 of which are scored, with five arrows on each of six targets (five are practice arrows).
• Target event consists of 40 arrows shot, 30 of which are scored, with 15 arrows from the 10 m line and 15 arrows from the 15 m line (ten are practice arrows).

AHEIA is proud to deliver this amazing NASP archery program, with Alberta being ranked No. 1 in the country in its number of tournaments offered and the number of archers participating, culminating in 313,010 arrows being shot in competition in 2026.

NASP General Tournament Information

1. To participate in any NASP tournament in Alberta, schools must be registered with NASP as an active school and have a minimum of 10 hours of in school archery taught during normal school hours

2. Any qualified archer or team can compete in any Alberta tournament. Individual archers from grades 4-12 compete by division, grade and gender.

3. There are numerous in-school NASP tournaments scattered around Alberta, and they can be found on www.nasptournaments.org. These tournaments are generally run on Fridays and Saturdays from early February until mid-April and range from 70-600 participants, which is much smaller than Alberta's Provincial Tournament or the Canadian Nationals. The Provincial Tournament normally has over 2300 competitors registered for the event and approximately 1500 register for the Canadian National Tournament.

4. It is recommended that any new school should attend a local regional tournament before attending the 2 large tournaments.

5. Most regional tournaments are bullseye competitions where each archer shoots 40 arrows - 30 scoring arrows and 10 practise arrows - at 2 different distances of 10 and 15 metres. However, Provincials, Nationals and a few regional tournaments also offer a 3D target competition. Each disciple takes an hour to complete.

6. The following is the link to the safety and shooting protocols that all archers and teams need to follow before competing in a tournament:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EB_9S3nZcm0

The program's focus is to provide International Style Target Archery training in physical education classes grades 4-12. It is designed to allow students of all backgrounds and abilities to flourish.

Before presenting the NASP® archery units of study, teachers must undergo an 8-hour National Archery in the Schools Program ® Basic Archery Instructor Training Program. Once teachers have successfully completed this program, equipment can then be ordered through NASP®.

For more information on the NASP® program please visit WWW.NASPSCHOOLS.ORG

2025-2026 NASP Grant Information for Schools

Kaiya Day - Alberta

I’m Kaiya and I do archery while being handicapped. I was born with a rare condition called Arthrogryposis Multiplex Congenita (A.M.C.). I found a way to participate in archery using only one arm to pull the string and release the arrow.I have been participating in archery for 3.5 years. It has not been the easiest thing to do, but that never made me stop.

With my bow held in place, I grab the string with a reverse grip, walk backwards to pull the string back, adjust my aim to the target, and check with my coach before releasing the string. Archery is one of my favorite things to do because it is a lot more accessible for everyone, unlike basketball or soccer. Another reason why I like archery is because it helps prove that handicapped people can do anything that they put their mind to, and that’s why I participate, but also because it is a fun activity.

National Archery In The Schools Program

The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) is a joint venture between the state and provincial departments of Education and Wildlife.

AHEIA NASP 2026

2026 NASP® Tournaments Information

2025 - 2026 AHEIA NASP® Grants

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Kaiya Day - Alberta