LAC LA BICHE - Preparations for the World Archery Field Championships are moving along well, says Rene Schaub, president of the Lakeland Archers.
From Sept. 16-22, Lac La Biche will welcome over 300 archers from 32 countries, along with coaches and support staff, for the major sporting event, which is being hosted by the Lakeland Archers club.
“It’s getting busy, but we’ve got everything pretty well under control,” Schaub told Lakeland This Week. “It’s a lot of work, but everything seems to be falling into place.”
All the distances on the archery course have been decided for, while the lanes have also been cut out for this global competition.
Any sporting competition requires the expertise of skilled judges, and Schaub says organizers must line up 16 international judges and have been working closely with World Archery as the preparations continue.
Finding enough accommodations for such a large contingent of athletes can be a daunting task indeed. That is why organizers of the World Archery Field Championships were proactive in speaking with local hotels and motels, booking every room that was available.
“We have all the hotels in Lac La Biche booked right up except for just a handful of rooms,” he stated.
Putting on a sporting event of this magnitude requires the commitment and hard work of dedicated teams of volunteers. While over 200 people have stepped up to the plate to lend a hand, Schaub would like to see more.
He added that 65 volunteers are needed every day during the championship, with some volunteers working more than one day.
“We roughly need about 400 volunteers… we don’t have that yet,” he said, adding, “We need a lot of volunteers.”
The volunteers are being assigned to different positions, and meetings will be held to train volunteers and get prepare them for the event.
On Sept. 16, just before the games get underway, athletes who arrive in Lac La Biche from across the globe as well as other Canadian provinces and parts of Alberta will be treated to a steak supper that is being provided by the Lac La Biche Agricultural Society.
The archers will also have an opportunity to go to the Lac La Biche Farmer’s Market along with a rodeo taking place that evening.
On the road to the 2024 World Archery Field Championships, Schaub said there has been a great amount of community and corporate support, which will be a big economic boost for the local area. Various community organizations have also lent a helping hand, including with maintenance of trails next to the archery club’s facility in Lac La Biche County.
As for highlighting Lac La Biche, Schaub stated the community is already well entrenched on the global map in the sport of archery.
“You talk to somebody from Norway, Sweden, Italy, France, and ask them about archery, they will not know where Ottawa is, or Vancouver, but they’ll know where Lac La Biche is… and that’s a fact,” he said.
Next year, the Lakeland Archers will be hosting the Outdoor Canadian Nationals which, according to Schaub, will take place during the August long weekend at the same time as Lac La Biche Summer Days.