CANORA - In keeping with their ongoing support for archery in Canora, River Ridge Fish and Game donated a total of $8,000 to NASP (National Archery in the Schools Program) at Canora Junior Elementary School and Canora Composite School on Jan. 16.
At CJES, 22 archers are taking part in the program this year, according to Coach Jennifer Prychak.
“Only Grade 4 students from our school are eligible for NASP,” said Prychak. “That’s the youngest age allowed to participate.”
Thanks to ongoing support from River Ridge, the school has enough bows that each student can sign out a bow and have it adjusted according to their individual needs.
“If not for the ongoing support of River Ridge, there would not be a NASP archery program at CJES,” added Prychak.
Bows replaced with this donation still have life left in them, and will be passed along to the local Assiniboine River Archery Club.
The River Ridge donation included $4,000 for NASP at Canora Composite School, where Coach Thomas Lowes has 70 archers taking part in the program this year, and is looking forward to replacing their targets and bows thanks to the financial support.
“Archery is an ‘everybody sport.’ Any student in school can do it,” said Lowes. “You don’t have to be athletic to be successful at it. They can even do it if they’re in a wheelchair.”
Ernie Gazdewich, the new River Ridge Fish and Game League president, said all the funding provided by the group is raised in Canora. The sources of funding for 2023 are: the March 4 banquet and awards, the June 9-10 gun show, and the current raffle for a rifle.
