By Jeff Rawlinson – Vice President NASP

By 2003, the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP®) was quickly becoming a national force in youth archery. Roy Grimes, then Deputy Director of Kentucky Fish and Wildlife, had been working closely with a small team of archery experts to expand the program in Kentucky and beyond. 

As the program grew, one major decision loomed: what equipment should every student use? The planning team envisioned a program where equipment would need to be the same for all sizes of youth across multiple grade levels. The Genesis bow was the perfect choice, but it needed the right arrow to guarantee success for a multitude of students.

The Easton Legacy

The search for that arrow began nearly a century earlier. In 1921, a teenage Doug Easton, sidelined by a leg injury, discovered archery through a book by Dr. Saxton Pope, the father of modern archery. Fascinated, Doug began hand-crafting his own cedar arrows and longbows. One day, while shooting this equipment in Golden Gate Park near his home, he received praise for his arrows from a stranger—who introduced himself as none other than Saxton Pope. That fateful encounter inspired Doug to devote his life to arrow making, eventually founding what would become the world’s leading arrow company.

Later, under leadership of Doug’s son, James Easton, the company would design the arrow that millions of NASP® students now shoot: the Easton Genesis 1820.

Standardizing Success

In NASP®’s early years, the planning team made one of its most important decisions: to standardize all program equipment. This was not easy in an industry full of respected companies and products. But safety had to come first, especially with so many beginning archers. Uniform equipment also ensured fairness: boys and girls, regardless of background or income, could compete on equal footing.

“As an archer myself since 1968, there was no more credible arrow company than Easton,” recalled Roy. “Other than choosing the Genesis bow, selecting Easton arrows was the easiest decision we made. The folks at Easton were wonderful to work with.”

Roy invited John Gooding from Easton’s Indiana factory to an early planning meeting in Kentucky. There, the team decided on a single arrow length of 30 inches, made of aluminum. Easton engineers went to work, creating the 1820—a uniquely designed arrow with an outside diameter of 18/64 inches and a wall thickness of .020. Though non-standard, this combination gave the arrow unmatched durability and safety for school use. With the Genesis bow and Easton 1820 arrow, NASP® had found its perfect pairing.

Champions for Students

One of Easton’s most passionate supporters of NASP® is Carri Garrett, Archery Sales Manager and often called the “Queen of NASP®.” As the liaison between Easton and the program, Carri has made it her mission to connect students with archery.

“Easton loves this sport. We live it, breathe it, and never get enough,” Carri explained. “It’s cool that our NASP® student archers are shooting the same arrow brand as Olympic champions. To work for a company that loves archery and to help kids discover it for life—that’s a pretty sweet thing.”

Carri has worked tirelessly to make archery meaningful for students. In the early years, Easton supplied a single arrow color but quickly saw challenges when multiple students shot at the same target. Carri spearheaded a new approach: four distinct colors, with one color disappearing every year, all voted on by student archers.   This tradition continues to this day.   Easton has also refined the 1820 with improvements like push-in nocks and replaceable points—all driven by love for the students NASP® serves.

Academic Archer

In 2015, NASP® Vice President (now President) Tommy Floyd had an idea to spotlight students who excelled both in archery and academics. Tommy was already in the habit of getting student feedback, being a former education administrator himself.  He established a student advisory committee of staff alumni.  During a meeting in Frankfort, Tommy asked the alumni how he could make the program better.  From here, the focus on academics began and a new program was born.  He called it the Academic Archer program, and it became a huge addition to the efforts of NASP® in supporting educators with leverage and motivation often needed for higher academic achievement.    To support the program, Tommy reached out to Mark Pezzoni, then President of Easton.

“I attended one NASP® event and I was hooked,” Mark said. “Seeing all those kids shooting arrows opened my eyes. So, when Tommy approached us about Academic Archer, we were all in.”

Together with Carri, Mark helped launch the initiative, which has grown into one of NASP®’s proudest traditions. “Everyone at Easton loves NASP®,” Carri said. “We want kids to grow, to be good stewards, and to accomplish more than they thought possible.”

 The Perfect Arrow’s Legacy

Today, Easton remains a gold level sponsor of NASP® as well as the title sponsor of the Academic Archer Program and the sole arrow supplier for NASP®. Each year, over 1.3 million students shoot the Easton 1820 arrow, resulting in more than 24 million young people having used it since the program’s inception.

The arrow that began as a passion to innovate in a teenage boy’s workshop a century ago has resulted in a tool for equality, safety, and success. For Easton, it is more than aluminum and engineering. It serves as the perfect arrow for its purpose—one that continues to carry students toward achievement, confidence, and lifelong connection to archery.