Bermuda’s archers will compete in their first international tournament of the year in Pennsylvania next week.

The National Archery Association of Bermuda will field a nine-member team in the Lancaster Archery Classic and the Easton Youth & Collegiate Trophy Tournament at the Spooky Nook Sports Complex.

Camerin Pickering, Jamie Fraser, Bernard Wade III, William Pickering and Jaydon Roberts will compete in the Lancaster Archery Classic, the largest indoor archery competition on the East Coast, held in the United States’ biggest indoor sports complex from January 23 to 26.

Braedon Fraser, Robin Selley, Elektra Smith, N’Dera Smith and Roberts will represent Bermuda in the Easton Youth & Collegiate Trophy Tournament, the largest youth and collegiate indoor archery event on the East Coast, from January 25 to 26.

“We’ve had a couple of good scores in the Lancaster Classic before, and so we’re looking to at least advance into some of the final rounds in the senior matches,” Ross Roberts, head coach of the National Archery Association of Bermuda, told The Royal Gazette.

“In the Youth Trophy Tournament, Jaydon and Robin had good finishes previously, so they should do well again.”

William Pickering is the only archer competing in the compound discipline, while the rest of the team will compete in recurve. However, the team’s preparations have been hampered by the lack of an indoor training facility.

“We’ve been set back because they’re starting work on the gym at the community centre [St George’s Community Centre], so we haven’t been able to use it,” Roberts said.

“We really haven’t had any proper opportunities to train indoors. We’ve tried to find alternative venues, but it’s just not working out. We’re being patient and hoping to get into the gym this weekend because we’ve told them we’re getting desperate.

“We’re hoping they’ll give us at least two days of indoor training to be better prepared because this is the indoor season, and we’ve lost our training spot. We’ve been shooting outdoors with indoor equipment, which isn’t ideal because outdoor equipment uses small, thin arrows, while indoor equipment uses big, fat arrows. It’s not an ideal training situation.

“But they’re still getting range time in when they can, despite the bad weather we have been having.”