Errin Cann hopes her dedication and sacrifice pays off at the upcoming 14th Pan American Wushu Championships in California.

The Dellwood Middle School student will venture into the unknown as she flies Bermuda’s flag competing in the Intermediate Jianshu (Straight Sword) and Chanquan (Open Hand) disciplines for the first time.

To aid her cause, Cann has arrived on the US West Coast well in advance of the championships to fine tune her preparations under the guidance of coaches Stephanie Lim and Nathan Andrus-Hughes, of Rouge Wushu and Athletics.

The 12-year-old trains twice daily for up to two hours ironing out any technical flaws in both disciplines and getting herself into “competition mode”.

“It is hard training as I’m doing a lot of strength training to get my body physically prepared for my forms,” Cann told The Royal Gazette.

As for the transition to the new forms, she added: “It has been really different as my open hand has more acrobatics and my sword form has more difficult moves and has a lot more moving around the carpet.”

If all goes to plan, Cann hopes to execute her moves on the mat and ultimately place in the top half of her division.

Despite her tender age, Cann is no stranger to international competition as this will be her fifth year in Contemporary Wushu and fourth appearance in international competition.

She has already enjoyed success competing at this level, having secured gold and silver medals in Straight Sword and Open Hand at the Phoenix Wushu Nationals in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2021.

Cann also won a silver medal in Straight Sword at the previous Pan Am championships in Brazil in 2022 as well as silver and bronze in Open Hand and Straight Sword at the Pan Am Kung Fu Championships in Markham, Canada, last year.

She is also the first Bermudian to medal in Contemporary Wushu at the Pan American Wushu Championships.

The 14th Pan American Wushu Championships will be held from August 28 to September 2 and will feature athletes from nearly 20 countries.

The biennial event is regarded as the highest level of intercontinental competition within the sport of wushu.