What is the tournament commitment and how do tournaments work?

Except for the LMS Intra-Squad Tournament in September, local tournaments are “All School” tournaments, i.e., all Austin area schools are invited to compete. To be eligible and considered for the LMS State Tournament team, archers must compete in the mandatory tournaments listed on the tournament schedule. Unless otherwise indicated, there is a $18 tournament registration fee per tournament. 

“Flight” times are scheduled throughout the day, i.e., a 90-minute block of time. Different tournament venues use different sign-up platforms. Parents/Care Givers pick the flight time that works best for weekend schedules (first come first served). Although the tournament runs all day, families only need to budget a 2-hour block of time (travel time plus competition time).

Archers are expected to practice twice a week (one weekday & one weekend practice on non-tournament weekends).

Weekday Practice Pods (6:00p to 8:00p @ LMS)

• Archers will be assigned a weekday practice pod. We will do the best we can to accommodate preferences. It is important to be flexible. We HAVE to make sure Practice Pods have even numbers and appropriate coach:archer ratios.

Weekend Practices & Sign-up Protocol

• Weekend sign-ups will be posted two weeks in advance. Saturday and Sunday options will be offered throughout the weekend. Please delete your weekend slot if plans change. No shows will be restricted from signing up.
• Archers MUST be signed up in order to practice. Drop-in archers will either be sent home or sit out until parents can pick up.
• Archers are allotted one weekday and one weekend slot. Archers missing a weekday practice CAN NOT practice twice during the weekend. Archers missing a weekend slot CAN NOT practice twice during the week. We simply do not have the space for archers to double up on weekdays or weekends.
• Signups will be posted and opened two weeks ahead of time.
• Check duplicates. We have a number of archers signed up twice during the weekends. This takes a slot away from others, and consumes time on our end to sort out the duplicate. Moving forward, the duplicate slot with the latest time stamp will be deleted, and your archer will keep the original slot (earliest timestamp).
• Please do not hedge schedules, i.e., sign up twice on the weekend because another activity (soccer/volleyball/swim/dance, etc.), has yet to determine their schedule.
• Archers are expected to stay the entire practice. Pulling an archer out of practice early defeats the purpose of practice and the slot could be used for an archer that is able to commit to the entire time.

What is NASP?

National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is a different kind of team sport. NASP doesn’t discriminate based on popularity, athletic skill, gender, size, or academic ability. It’s It’s open to any student. Teams come together around one thing: Archery. NASP is an in-school program aimed at improving educational performance among students in grades 4th – 12th. And through it, students are learning focus, self-control, discipline, patience, and the life lessons required to be successful in the classroom and in life.

Archery Equipment used in NASP is highly standardized to be safe, durable, economical, and most importantly, universal fit for almost every student. In NASP learning the “process” of shooting is stressed far more than arrow scores. The only bow used in NASP is a Genesis” compound which has no let-off and is adjustable from 10-20 pounds in draw weight at any draw length. And the only arrow is the Easton 1820 aluminum “Genesis” arrow.

The NASP program in Texas is managed by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD). Since 2004, TPWD staff and volunteers have certified hundreds of NASP Archery Instructors and Trainers. Currently, over 1,700 schools actively participate in TX - NASP. The 2025 Texas State Championships hosted 4000 archers from 148 schools.

Besides tournaments and practice, are there additional expectations?

Yes. archers are expected to:

• Meet academic requirements & follow school rules in all classes.
• Document practice time at home (string bow, pipe bow, stretch band, exercise. etc.
• Keep an up-to-date archery journal throughout the season.
• Follow directions and adhere to all safety protocols at practice and tournaments.
• Be kind, stay safe, do right, and come to practice with a can-do attitude and put forth best effort at all times.

How are teams selected for the Texas State Championships?

At the end of the 2026 Fall Season, we will select archers to join the State team and continue in the 2027 Spring Season. Decisions will be based on practice attendence and meeting team expectations (journal, behavior, effort, etc).

How are teams selected for the Western National Championships?

The Western National Championshps are April 22-24, in Sandy, UT. Teams qualify for Nationals in March based upon their Texas State Championship tournament scores. Our goal is to take at least two teams (48) archers to the 2027 National Championships. We will consider a thrid team if (a) we qualify, and (b) if there is enough interest. Otherwise, archers will be slected and invited to join the National Team at the conclusion of the State Tournament in March.

We have our own bow and arrows, can we use them?

Only if they are the NASP approved Genesis Original Bow & the Easton 1820 Arrow. The NASP standardized “universal fit” equipment (bows and arrows) is designed to level the competitive playing field, keeps equipment costs equitable, and maximizes archer safety (the bow and arrow are designed together such that the arrow can never be overdrawn off the arrow rest and possibly shot into the bow hand or riser.