Eleven lucky archers from Columbia University traded frigid Manhattan for bullseyes on sunny St. Croix this week, Virgin Islands Archery Federation officials said Tuesday.
The six Olympic recurve bow archers and five compound bow archers arrived Monday, along with three coaches, including the Columbia program’s sports psychology coach for pre-season training, said federation President Eloi George. They’ll practice and mingle with local archers through Sunday.
George said he’d met the Columbia coach at several competitions and trainings over the years.
“So when the opportunity to host them for this came about, we jumped at it,” he said. “This visit represents a unique opportunity for our community. Beyond the high-level athletic exchange, it allows our local youth archers to see first hand the viability of balancing elite competitive sports with prestigious collegiate studies.”
The bow-bending at the Gatewood James Park is open to Virgin Islands archers as well, he said. The Columbia archers and their coaches were scheduled to be at the park range from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.
“All the local archers have been invited to come and train with them as they’re available,” he said. “It’s a bit difficult for the younger archers in the high schools because they’re preparing for and taking standardized testing this week.”
Two local archers have taken the invitation so far, and a third was scheduled to join on Wednesday, George said.
The Columbia team has top-tier talent. Sophomore Alena Lipscomb took the silver medal at the USA Archery Indoor Nationals March 11. Lipscomb beat out 131 other archers to finish second. She won gold at the season-opening Easton Youth & Collegiate Trophy Tournament, as well as at the women’s recurve at the CU Invitational before that, according to the Columbia University Athletics website.
The visit benefits Virgin Islands archers and the community as a whole, George said, showing off what the territory has to offer elite sports teams.
“We believe hosting programs of this caliber demonstrates the Virgin Islands’ potential as a premier destination for sports tourism and athletic development,” he said.
