School of Outdoor Sports

[Woody]

Elementary School for Fishing, Hunting & Shooting

Nonprofit School of Outdoor Sports set to launch Jan. 1, 2010

The “elementary school” for America’s sporting traditions is at www.learnoutdoorsports.org
Anybody, of any age, can learn how to fish, hunt, or shoot–for free–at the School of Outdoor Sports. The school, at www.learnoutdoorsports.org   will open Jan. 1, 2010.

“There’s never been anything like this,” says Todd Siebell, School CEO. “The old system, where a family member or friend would teach you, is all but broken in our modern world.”
Declining participation in these traditional outdoor sports is well documented, Siebell says, due to numerous factors. The nonprofit school addresses every modern reality and works to overcome obstacles between would-be beginners and lifetime attachments to the outdoors.

“At the School of Outdoor Sports,” he says, “you don’t need to ‘know anybody’ to get started, and there is no charge. Lessons are video-based, taught by expert instructors. People love to learn by watching videos. It’s so much easier to understand when you show a beginner how to do something. And students can watch lessons as many times as they want, until they get it.”
Good students always have follow-up questions. The school will have experts standing by to answer individual questions.

“Nobody will ever be left to struggle on their own,” says Siebell.
Getting beginners to fully understand the basics, so they taste success right away, is the formula for turning large numbers of people into active participants, says Mark Strand, founder of the school.

“This will standardize the level of instruction,” says Strand, “and make it available to everyone. No matter where you live, no matter what time of day you can study the lessons, high quality teaching is waiting for you.

“By helping beginners succeed, early on, they can decide if any certain type of fishing, hunting, or shooting is for them. That’s the only way they can make good decisions. We encourage beginners to sample anything that sounds fun, and freely choose favorites. That’s the recipe for creating more true anglers, hunters, and shooters.”
 
How it Works
Students are greeted at the school with three main choices: fishing, hunting, or shooting.
After clicking one of these buttons, they are taken to the home page of the chosen school. There, they are welcomed by the lead instructor. Then, they study the overall basics of that subject.

After studying the lesson, and asking any questions they have, they declare they understand the basics and are sent a Basic Angler, Basic Hunter, or Basic Shooter diploma.
“In the overall basic lessons,” says Strand, “students are taught most of what they will ever need to know. In other words, after studying the basics of fishing, they will understand fishing, no matter where they go, no matter what species of fish they want to catch. Same thing for hunting and shooting.”

The overall basic lessons will be online at launch, with a long list of specific lessons being developed and offered as they are ready.
“After they understand the overall basics,” says Strand, “they choose what they want to try. For example, they study overall hunting basics, then they might choose deer hunting, or turkey hunting, or duck hunting. Same types of choices in the fishing and shooting schools.”

Meshing with Existing Efforts

The School of Outdoor Sports is friend and ally to all existing efforts to get beginners started. For example, mentoring groups are forming alliances with the school, and students needing mentors are linked up with them. Also, formal programs that get beginners out in the field (youth deer hunts, shooting days, fishing clinics, etc.) will find the school keeps those beginners going, after they get their feet wet.

“Our lessons will also raise the level of training for mentors,” says Siebell. “Anyone from a single mother who would like to take her kids fishing, to an existing mentor looking to brush up on the basics or learn something new, will find a great free resource.”

There’s more to the school, including a classroom that guides beginners as they shop for gear.
“This is the ingredient that’s been missing up until now,” says Siebell. “Getting past the learning curve has always been intimidating. There is a lot to learn, and beginners need to succeed in order to become attached. Finally, our outdoor traditions have a dedicated elementary school. A place where beginners, young and old, get off on the right foot, and get help every step of the way.”

Do you know someone who’d like to learn how to fish, hunt, or shoot?
Guide them to the School of Outdoor Sports.

Notes: The School needs funding to be effective. On the home page at www.learnoutdoorsports.org   you can make a donation. Also, “Paint the Next Sunrise: A Future for Hunting and Fishing,” the book that tells the story behind this new school, is available from www.bookhousefulfillment.com  or 800-901-3480.

[Jdrummer]

They need a school or class like this online so that I can get my gun saftey certificate! I took the snowmobiling class when i was 14 but my ol man never hunted and now I have to work so I can't take the one day a week class for two and a half months straight

[Woody]

Alliance Joins Hands-on Events with Ongoing Outdoor Education


   Agreement between Tips Outdoors Foundation and School of Outdoor Sports brings coordinated effort to increase participation in fishing, hunting, and shooting


   Woodbury, MN–  Two nonprofits dedicated to getting newcomers into fishing, hunting, and shooting have teamed up to create a coordinated, national program combining hands-on events with ongoing, online education.

   Tips Outdoors Foundation has joined forces with the School of Outdoor Sports to develop this landmark integrated effort.

   “We give beginners a chance to experience the outdoor traditions,” said Mark Tipler, Executive Director and Founder of Tips, which conducts fun, hands-on instructional events. “We had been planning to develop ongoing education to strengthen what we do, because beginners need continuing help after an event is over. But the School of Outdoor Sports is already delivering ongoing outdoor education, which makes us perfect partners.”

   

   

   The School of Outdoor Sports offers high-quality lessons in the basics of fishing, hunting, and shooting, in its online classrooms (www.learnoutdoorsports.org). In addition, the school “encourages people to try whatever sounds fun,” said Mark Strand, President and Founder. “We don’t know ahead of time what any given newcomer is going to like best,” he said. “We teach basic lessons in all of it, and let people choose their own favorites.”

   Tips and SOS stay with newcomers “all the way to the finish line,” said Tipler, “meaning the point where they think of themselves as anglers, hunters, shooters, or all three.”

   Hands-on, in-the-field experiences are necessary in this process, said Strand.

   “We teach beginners how to be successful, in whatever they want to try,” Strand said, “but that’s not enough by itself. We need to get people out there, so they can build their own skills, gain their own experiences, and become attached to the outdoors.”

   The two organizations were brought together by Mike Kurre, Hunting and Angling Mentoring Program Coordinator with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “We can all do more together than we can separately,” said Kurre, “and this partnership is a good day for the future of mentoring, not just in Minnesota, but across the country.”

   Coordinated planning between Tips and the School of Outdoor Sports has already begun, after the two organizations signed an agreement, on March 23, to integrate efforts.

   “We’re doing more than simply cooperating with each other,” said Strand. “This is set up to make a difference, nationally, in the number of people who become actual, active participants.”


 


    About Tips Outdoors Foundation

   Tips Outdoors Foundation conducts fun, hands-on, outdoor educational experiences. In addition, it provides support for, and partners with, other organizations with the same goals and purposes. Tips’ mission is to introduce kids and families to outdoor related activities, helping to build family values. The Foundation also partners with corporate sponsors to produce outdoor sports related special events. The purpose of each special event is to raise funds and awareness by using all types of media, focusing on the cause and mission of each nonprofit organization.

   Organizations interested in partnering with Tips Outdoors Foundation may contact Mark Tipler at TipsOutdoors@gmail.com


   About School of Outdoor Sports

   Developed to mesh with existing efforts to increase participation in the traditional outdoor sports of fishing, hunting, and shooting, nonprofit School of Outdoor Sports is dedicated to helping beginners of all ages become lifelong participants. SOS carries out its mission by first inviting beginners of all ages to discover these great outdoor traditions. Then, beginners are taught ‘most of what they’ll ever need to know’ in their chosen activities. All student questions are answered individually. Students requesting help finding adult mentors are matched up with mentoring organizations in their area. The result is a steady flow of new, lifelong anglers, hunters, and shooters, eventually reversing the trend of declining participation. For more, go to www.learnoutdoorsports.org.

   Organizations interested in partnering with SOS may contact Mark Strand at mstrand@learnoutdoorsports.org.