Lifelong sports. A favorite discussion of ours. Why are these not more prominent in our schools? Why are they not sanctioned as an official sport? Why are they offered instead in many cases a "club sport"? Can you answer this question with more than an answer that "Someone might be hurt?"

Multi-Billion Dollar Economic Impact To North Dakota

According to a study released by the North Dakota Game and Fish in conjunction with the Department of Agribusiness and Applied Economics at North Dakota State University,

"Hunting and fishing in North Dakota contribute an estimated $2.1 billion in annual input to the state's economy."

Read that once, twice, or three times if you need to. With this being the case, why are sports that lead athletes into opportunities for college scholarships, Olympic dreams a possibility, traveling on national and international teams; and lastly sports that can be enjoyed lifelong?

Lifelong sports are defined as an activity one can play their whole life.

Sports in our focus today are Shooting Sports. To clarify, Archery, Rifle, and Clay Targets. Today many of the organized teams are done as mentioned above, supported by clubs. The NDSU Extension 4-H has formed "4-H Shooting Sports" to aid in helping bring attention to overlooked sports. Over the weekend, Bismarck Mandan profited from hosting the Morton County District Match at the Nishu Bowmen Archery Club. Because of this club, parents and children traveled from across the state to participate in the event and this is just an example of one weekend. Today the Bismarck club NISHU Bowmen Archery Club has a membership of over 400 people alone. That is only one club, there are many numbers within our community making the outdoors a vital part of North Dakota's culture. In our opinion, now is the time to encourage sportsmanship for life, educate versus scare people, and share the love of the outdoors in order to further contribute to one of the reasons the next generation may choose to stay in North Dakota. Look to the outdoors. Interested in learning more about NISHU Bowmen Archery Club or their state-of-the-art indoor and outdoor ranges, head to www.nishubowmen.com or visit Nishu Archery Range at 1409 Riverwood Dr in Bismarck, North Dakota. The club offers public archery classes, leagues and tournaments.