The Link

2/8/2013
IOWA SPORTS FOUNDATION

Over 400 Youth Archers to Compete in Iowa Games

JOHNSTON, Iowa - Over four hundred youth will be competing in Archery at the 2013 Winter Iowa Games powered by the Iowa Food and Family Project. Partnering with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the event will take place Saturday, Feb. 9 at Johnston High School.

Archers will begin their first flight at 9:00 a.m. and continue shooting throughout the day. Students will compete both on the individual and team level. Many central Iowa teams will be competing, as well as teams from as far as Spencer.

The National Archery in the Schools Program in Iowa is coordinated through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Currently there are nearly 200 Iowa schools participating in the program.

The Iowa Games added the archery competition to the docket of sports in 2011 and the event continues to grow. In 2011, the event was held in Central City and had 67 participants. The following year the event was moved to Johnston High School and attracted 301 participants.

This year's record breaking event will feature over 400 youth archers.

The 2013 Games will look to set a new participation record this year, breaking the previous record of 4,202 athletes, set in 2012. As Iowa's premier winter sports festival, the Games will be held in 11 Iowa communities over a four-week period. For a complete list of sports offered visit www.IOWAGAMES.org.

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The mission of the Iowa Games is to provide sports and recreation opportunities for all Iowans through Olympic-style festivals events and programs.

The Iowa Games is a department of the Iowa Sports Foundation. The Iowa Sports Foundation is a nonprofit sports management organization that helps develop amateur sports in Iowa and promote positive lifestyles and physical fitness through athletic events and health education initiatives.

(Contact: Cory Kennedy Marketing & Communications Director cory@iowasportsfoundation.org, 888-777-8881, ext. 106)