Greg Easton, Easton Foundation Director, presenting a $5,000 check to Erika Anschutz, winner of the top 2009 ESDF-NFAA Scholarship Award for excellence in archery and academic achievement.

PRESS RELEASE
From: Marihelen Rogers, Executive Director
Date: June 2009

Yankton, SD--Easton Sports Development Foundation and the National Field Archery Association Foundation are pleased to announce the Archery Scholarship Recipients for 2009. Total scholarships of $20,000 were awarded to 20 student athletes in middle school, high school, and college that compete with either compound or recurve bows. Individual scholarship awards varied from $500 to $5,000, with the top award going to Erika Anschutz of Hamilton, Ohio.

"Erika started competing when she was seven years old and she has excelled at all levels of archery from her first JOAD experience to her current status as a top member of the USA Archery World Team. We are very pleased to award Erika our top scholarship award for 2009. She is an outstanding example of an athlete committed to excellence in archery while also earning her degree at the University of Nebraska," stated Bruce Cull, President NFAA.

Erika Anschutz stated, "I learned very early in archery that a disciplined effort, sharp mental focus, and hard work were critical for me to succeed from my first JOAD tournaments to the most recent National and International archery competitions. Archery has helped me to develop the skills needed to not only compete successfully, but to also succeed in my personal and scholastic efforts. I want to thank the Easton and NFAA Foundations for recognizing me with their top scholarship award in 2009."

The NFAA Scholarship program started in 1990 to support student athletes that compete in archery and excel in academic and intellectual achievement. Funding limitations in the past limited the value and number of scholarships that could be awarded each year. "The Easton Foundation shares the NFAA Foundation goal to support student athletes that compete in archery. Additional collegiate scholarships will help USA Archery grow their college archery program and strengthen future Olympic and World Championship Teams. By combining our respective Foundation efforts, we can award more student scholarships in the future, and individual scholarship levels will be increased to more significant amounts. In 2009, $20,000 was awarded to twenty of the 58 applicants. We expect a major increase in the number of applications in future years, and plan to increase the level of total annual scholarship awards to $50,000 in 2010," said Erik Watts, Director Easton Foundation.

The 2009-11 scholarships are funded by a $150,000 grant from the Easton Foundation to the Easton-NFAA Foundation Scholarship Program. Future revenue from the Easton Foundation Archery Center of Excellence in Yankton, plus the scholarship donations from both individuals and companies will be placed in an endowment account to fund the scholarships in 2012 and beyond.

Dave Gordon, of Gordon Composites, has made a substantial contribution to the scholarship endowment fund. Dave stated, "Archery has been a big part of both my personal and business success. My contribution to the Easton-NFAA Foundation Scholarship program allows me to give back to the sport I love, and to award our very best archers and student athletes for their success in both archery and scholastic efforts. I encourage everyone that shares my passion for archery and desire to support our young archers to make their own donation to the scholarship program." Individuals or companies interested in donating to the scholarship endowment fund or learning more about the program are encouraged to contact Bruce Cull, NFAA President. The NFAA Foundation is a 501(c )3 Public Charity and all donations meet the IRS requirements as charitable donations.

Scholarship applications, program requirements, and additional information is available on the NFAA website at www.nfaa-archery.org, or from the NFAA Headquarters, 800 Archery Lane, Yankton, SD 57078. All applications for 2010 scholarships must be submitted to the NFAA Office by December 31, 2009. For additional information contact Marihelen Rogers, Executive Director, at 605-260-9279 Ext. 102 or at NFAAArchery@aol.com