LANSING, Michigan - The World Archery Youth Championships - U.S. Team Trials heated up with official practice today. Nearly 200 of the nation's top youth archers are competing for 24 spots on the U.S. team that will head to Rosario, Argentina for the World Archery Youth Championships in October. For some, this is their first ever Trials experience, and others are looking to repeat their places on the team. The agreement across the field though is that having a separate event just for the youth trials has created a super fun atmosphere much like a family reunion for all archers and their friends.
Breanna Theodore (Hibbing, Minnesota) just competed a few weeks ago in the World Archery Championships - U.S. Team Trials, finishing in the top eight among the senior compound women. "Being a cadet and shooting on a senior level, there's a definite experience difference," commented Breanna. "That's why I shoot up. I want to compete against Paige [Gore], I want to be able to push myself; on a good day I want to be with Paige and on a bad day I want to be with her too. I want to shoot well and if I had a chance at the senior team I want to go for it, and that was definitely good experience for this. I'm just going to shoot my bow and hope for the best."
Breanna added that there's also a fun element to competing at the Youth Trials: "It's a lot more relaxing because we're on a friendship level; these girls, I'm friends with them, I can talk to them on the line and with the seniors it's a little more intense and serious."
For Galvin Yuan (Millbrae, California), this is his first Trials event after just picking up archery in the last three years: "I started competitively shooting on the national level last year, and to be at my first Trials, this is a marker for me of my career in archery. Not that I've made it, but that I'm one step closer to being where I want to be, one step closer to being successful. Being my first Trials, I'm not expecting anything, I just want to shoot my best and focus on my process."
Local archer Chris Bee (Howell, Michigan), collegiate archer for the Michigan State Archery Club and reigning World Archery Youth Championships team silver medalist and mixed team bronze medalist, is pulling double duty assisting with field crew and competing in what will be his last year eligible for the youth championships.
Chris shared: "This is my fourth outdoor youth world team trials, since I shot up as a cub. I definitely want to make the team since it's my last year and it would be really cool to go to Argentina - I've never been there. It would mean a lot to me."
Competition begins tomorrow with 72 arrows of qualification followed by round robin matches on Sunday for the top eight archers in each division after tomorrow's ranking round. Live scores from the event will be available here. For more, follow USA Archery on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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