After completing a successful pilot in Missouri, the Student Air Rifle Program (SAR) is ready for launch on a national level.
Our photograph – above – shows 16 teachers representing 8 Missouri schools participated in the first Student Air Rifle Program (SAR) Basic Air Riflery Instructor (BARI) training held in January 2015.
The annual approximate number of youth who are interested in additional shooting sports besides archery after participating in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) is over 1 million.
Surveys conducted through NASP revealed 56% of students expressed an interest in shooting firearms as a result of NASP participation – that’s well over half a million! The Student Air Rifle program is positioned to provide a solid foundation for teachers and students to transition from archery to air rifle shooting within a very familiar framework.
“SAR was inspired by the vast number of students who annually participate in NASP and have an interest in trying other shooting sports besides archery”, explained Jake Hindman, founder of the Student Air Rifle program (SAR).
“NASP has paved the way for basic shooting sports instruction in the school system and other areas. We have created the Student Air Rifle program to provide a safe, universal, and fun way for students to continue their shooting sports journey started by NASP. We also hope SAR leads students to the existing structure of excellent youth shooting sports programming available so participants can experience a lifetime of target shooting.”
“Like NASP, we have a strong interest in partnering with existing NASP coordinating organizations for coordination of SAR at the state level. Student Air Rifle implementation ideas for any state will be considered and are encouraged for discussion,” explained Hindman. Interested schools, potential partners, and organizations can contact the organization at info@studentairrifleprogram.org for more information about becoming involved.
SAR, developed by the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance (MYSSATM) in 2013, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. SAR uses school aligned units of study, teacher training, universal whistle commands, positive language, and standardized equipment to facilitate an introduction to the lifetime sport of target shooting to school-aged youth in grades 4 through 12. Follow SAR on Facebook and Instagram by searching “Student Air Rifle Program-SAR”.
For more information about the Student Air Rifle Program (SAR), visit www.studentairrifleprogram.org or contact info@studentairrifleprogram.org
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