Archers aim to join Team Canada during Cambridge trials

 

Twenty-six archers from across Canada set their targets on Team Canada on the first day of selection camp in Cambridge.

The four-day event is being hosted by Archery Canada to determine the archery team heading to the Pan Am Games in Santiago, Chile in November.

“At first it was very nerve wracking,” said Ben Lee, an archer from Kitchener.

Lee said archery is not just a physical sport, it is also a mental one.

“You have to have a strong mindset. Second guessing yourself during a shot can be very detrimental to the shot,” Lee said.

An official from Archery Canada said there’s a science behind the sport that involves studying wind and the environment before a competition.

“On this field today the wind is a head wind. That will cause the arrows to go up and down depending on how much wind there is,” said Shawn Riggs from Archery Canada.

It is a timed sport. In some cases, you only have a couple of minutes or less to shoot all of your arrows.

“We shoot for up to eight hours in tournaments, so just a lot of effort that goes into something that looks deceivingly simple,” said Emilio Verdugo Paredes, an archer from Waterloo.

The championships later this year are the best way to secure a spot for the 2023 Pan Am Games, also taking place in Santiago.