Area teachers think the Illinois Department of Natural Resources hit the bull's eye when the agency brought the new National Archery in the Schools Program "On Target for Life" to the state.

The project trains teachers as archery instructors and gives schools a chance to buy top-quality archery equipment at low or no cost. Start-up is about $2,500 but schools pay little or nothing. Some of the money comes from the state and federal level.

IDNR's costs are covered by sale of turkey harvest pins. Outdoor groups like the National Wild Turkey Federation and local organizations like the McLean County Sportsmen's Association, which raises money to promote youth in the outdoors, and the Tremont Sportsmen's Association, have contributed cash to take on the financial burden of school districts in their areas.

McLean County Sportsman's Association has pledged money for start-up to help any district that wants to take part, said IDNR Conservation Police Sgt. Tony Norman, who is based in IDNR's Region III at Moraine View State Park near LeRoy. Norman said "On Target for Life" has many benefits.

"Number one, it's an excellent opportunity to add a program to their curriculum for little cost and get top-notch equipment for no cost. It's a program the kids are really excited about. It's a program every kid has the potential to excel at. Any kid who might not excel at other sports, it's an opportunity for them to have a sport to excel at that's out of the norm," he said.

And who knows? Maybe one of them will sail to the heights of the sport like Vic Wunderle of Mason City, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Wunderle won a silver medal in the event in 2000.

Norman also noted archery is a great way to entice a generation of kids fighting obesity away from the glow of their video tubes and get them outside.

"Any time we can provide our kids today with an additional hobby to get them outside and do something physical rather than staying inside and watching TV is great," Norman said.

"The big thing for a lot of schools is that it offers an alternate recreational program that sometimes students who don't excel in other sports, like traditional ball sports, can get involved in," agreed Dave Cassens, IDNR program manager for shooting sports development. "They learn responsibility, respectability and team work."

About 80 schools throughout the state are onboard since the program started in 2003.

"We have schools from the Wisconsin border to the southern tip of the state," Cassens said.

Marcia Menold, who teaches physical education and personal fitness at Tremont High School, is sold on the program. The school taught archery on its own for a number of years, but was unable to afford the high quality compound bows and other gear "On Target for Life" provides, she said.

Harder to use equipment might discourage youngsters from ever trying the sport again. The new program provided 11 bows, dozens of arrows, quivers and a wooden storage cabinet. There's even safety equipment that makes shooting indoors possible when the weather is bad.

Menold noted that several of the kids, or their families, hunt. The archery training may encourage them to try that aspect of the sport, she said. She's also seen students who aren't good at other sports excel at archery and gain added self-esteem as a result. Even students with physical limitations can take part.

Ginger Spencer teaches archery at Olympia Middle School in Stanford.

"The girls were a little skeptical at first, but once they tried it, they really got into it," she said. "The girls started off a little shy, but they found they were stronger than they thought they were. Some thought they wouldn't draw it back, but girls were scoring 47s, 48s out of 50. They were pretty accurate."

She also saw the sport as a way to reach kids who may not do well at more traditional sports.

"Some of the best archers weren't the ones in after-school sports. It works on good hand eye coordination and agility. In general, they all did pretty good, all different skill levels were able to use the equipment.

Spencer also saw a willingness by students to learn safety rules and practice discipline to make sure everyone was safe. They are taught to listen for whistle commands that signal when they should pick up their bows, when to notch arrows and when it's safe to fire.

"On Target for Life" is available for both public and private schools through their physical education departments. More than 40 states currently take part. Illinois was one of the first 10 states registered in the program.

Both Olympia and Tremont plan to continue "On Target for Life," and they may take part in a state-wide spring archery tournament for schools enrolled in the NASP in the future. About 20 schools competed in the last state tournament in March.

If your school is interested in the program, call Cassens at (217) 785-7742 or Norman at (309) 724-8032.