LAC LA BICHE – From Aug. 2-9, hundreds of professional archers from coast to coast will be gathering in Lac La Biche to compete in the 3D, Field, and Target Outdoor Canadian Championships, which are being hosted by the Lakeland Archers.
For some of these archers, including Jovica Djukic and Trudy Dryden, this will not be their first time competing in Lac La Biche.
Djukic, a resident of The Battlefords, will be representing his home province of Saskatchewan at the upcoming nationals, while Dryden, who lives in a small New Brunswick community called “The Glades”, will be part of the New Brunswick contingent coming for the competition.
Djukic, who brought his shooting skills to Lac La Biche for the 2024 World Archery Field Championships last September, is looking forward to returning.
“I love coming to Lac La Biche,” he told Lakeland This Week.
During the nationals, Djukic will be participating in the 3D, field, and target events. The 3D competition on Aug. 1, he explained, is a qualifier to get a spot on the national team for the Field and 3D Championships, which are taking place next year in Yankton, South Dakota.
Djukic has been preparing for the nationals by participating in competitions at the provincial and local level, and regularly practicing his shooting skills.
“I’m living on an acreage, so I have an opportunity to set up the field course,” he said, adding that he also has dozens of 3D animals that he uses to prepare with.
Djukic finished in seventh place after qualification in the individual category during the World Archery Field Championships, while the three-member men’s team he was part of won bronze in their final competitions.
As he gets ready to return to Lac La Biche to shoot at the Nationals, Djukic is confident that he will do well.
“I know that I’m winning all three events already…it’s just a matter of coming and doing it,” he said.
Dryden has competed in Lac La Biche twice before, one in 2019 for the World 3D Championships, and a second time in 2021 to attend the trials for Team Canada to determine who would make the team to represent Canada in Terni, Italy, for the 2022 3D Championships. She was successful in making the team and placed fifth in the individual championships.
Like Djukic, Dryden is also looking forward to returning to Lac La Biche, a community she says makes her feel very comfortable.
“It feels like my second home,” she stated.
Dryden explained that she has great memories of competing at the world’s here in 2019 and vividly remembers when the community turned out to support the visiting archers during the opening ceremonies.
“It was such a welcoming feeling. The community is so fortunate to have such a world class archery facility. I have made a lot of friends and acquaintances from all over the world there,” she said.
In preparation for the nationals, Dryden practices at least four to five times a week, shooting about 80-100 arrows during each session. In addition to being actively involved in the sport of archery, Dryden also gets exercise by doing Pilates, light weights, and walking.
“I am very fortunate where I live. We have 30 acres, so I am able to practice anytime depending on weather,” she said.
Dryden also attends local tournaments on the weekends. The club that she helped get started, Glades Traditional Archery Club, is part of a 3D league night where 8-10 archers shoot a tournament round, partly for fun, and partly to help each other to become better archers.
As with Djukic and other Canadian archers, Dryden will also be competing for team trials to represent their country in Yankton in 2026. During the nationals, Dryden explained, she will be competing in 3D nationals and field nationals in the senior traditional (instinctive) category.
Dryden has been involved with archery for close to three decades and, as she progressed in the sport, became more competitive and started attending national competitions.
In addition to competing in different categories, Dryden likes the community aspect that comes with the sport.
“What I also enjoy is socializing with fellow archers, having a good laugh, and experiencing the excitement when the arrow lands exactly where you wanted it to,” she said.
The last time Lac La Biche played host to the nationals was in 2014, and Rene Schaub, president of the Lakeland Archers, is looking forward to welcoming competitive archers from across Canada back to the community.
As an archery coach and judge, Schaub has kept in touch with many of these archers as he travels across Canada judging at competitions.
“It’ll be nice to have them back on home soil here,” Schaub said. “They know that when they come to Lac La Biche, they’re in for a good shoot.”
Preparations for the week-long sporting event, according to Schaub, are coming along well. He explained that the awards for the winners have already been purchased, and that the courses, which in recent years have been used for the 2024 World Archery Field Championships and other competitions, will be easy to set up for the nationals.
“We’re right on course,” he stated.
