These local archers take aim to represent Canada at world championship this summer

Archers from across the country were in Cambridge this weekend competing for a chance to represent Canada in Berlin later this summer in the world championships.

Waterloo region's Benjamen Lee and Reece Wilson-Poyton were among 23 competitors taking part in Archery Canada's selection camp, held at the organization's training centre on Moyers Blair Landing just off of Fountain Street.

Those with the top scores will form a team that will represent Canada in Colombia for the world cup in June and then the world cup in Berlin in July.

Wilson-Poyton, who is originally from St. Catharines and now lives in Waterloo region after graduating from Wilfrid Laurier University, is part of Archery Canada's training squad. He always had an interest in archery and got his first bow in 2014. A year later, in 2015, he started joining competitions when he got his first Olympic recurve bow.

"For me, I really enjoy how you're always learning something," Wilson-Poyton told CBC News Sunday.

"It's a sport where it's very technical, there's a lot of form and technique, but there's also a lot about the equipment and the mental performance is a really big things for us."

Wilson-Poyton said he's not been to a world championship event before. On top of mentally preparing for the this weekend's event, he said he's also worked on his form and technique.

"If I have prepared enough and I can shoot the arrows, we'll see what happens from there. If I do my best, we'll see because there are a lot of other archers around me," he said.

Would be 'very honoured to represent Canada'

Competing alongside Wilson-Poyton, is 20-year-old Benjamen Lee from Kitchener. Lee has been part of youth championships before and made a leap competing in the national training squad this weekend.

"It is a bit nerve wracking because it's more competitive," he told CBC News.

"When I was a junior, there wasn't as many kids as there is now and as you can see, there are many athletes here."

Lee said characters in movies like The Hunger Games and The Avengers are what sparked his interest in getting involved in the sport and it would be an honour to represent Canada on the global stage.

"Today I'm looking forward to having some good match play ... with my teammates and if I were able to make it to the world championships, I would be very grateful and very honoured to represent Canada," he said.

Archery Canada will announce who made the team later this week.