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Is Archery Safe?
Archery’s safety record is exemplary; so
much so that *most school insurance policies provide coverage under
existing policies that cover all other recreational activities. It is
almost unheard of for a person to injure himself/herself or another person
while shooting bow and arrow.
The National Safety
Council rates archery more accident free than every popular ball sport,
including tennis and golf.
When one puts a ball in the air and kids get
running, jumping and spinning around almost anything can happen. You
expect injuries whether its turned ankles, twisted knees or torn
ligaments. Archery allows students to be taught a safe, lifetime skill
they can practice almost anywhere.
Since March, 2002: 2.3 million students have
participated from 3800 schools ; 44 states have adopted the program
The NASP program in
the schools is safe because it offers a controlled environment.
The range
is designed with safety in mind. The space is divided into shooting and
non-shooting areas. Only instructors and student-archers get close to the
shooting line. No one can get close to the shooters to distract them and
create a potential safety problem. All entrances and exits behind the
shooting line are closed and secured.
Students are
trained to respond to whistle commands only, while on the range.
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Two whistle blasts
signal students to move forward from behind the waiting line and get bows
from the rack then straddle the shooting line.
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One whistle blast
means they can shoot after which they hang up their bow and go back behind
the waiting line.
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Three whistle
blasts signals go get arrows where they move to the target line.
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When a student
hears five or more whistle blasts (emergency); no matter where they are on
the range they have learned to immediately hang their bows on the rack and
move to behind the waiting line.
For a more
information on the safety of archery, see:
“Is Archery a Safe Sport”
(426KB pdf file, opens with Acrobat Reader)
provided through the courtesy of ArrowSport
(www.arrowsport.org).
*Courtesy
of the FAQ section at www.communityarchery.com
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