Pickering finds target early at 2026 Lancaster Archery Classic
IslandStats.com
Archer Camerin Pickering has made a promising start to the 2026 Lancaster Archery Classic, positioning himself among the early leaders at the world-renowned Spooky Nook Sports Complex.
Pickering was among the first round of archers to take to the line at the massive 700,000-square-foot facility in Pennsylvania.
Competing in a field that features thousands of competitors, including Olympic-level talent, Pickering navigated his initial ends with remarkable consistency. After sixty arrows at the standard indoor distance of 18 meters, the 26-year-old posted a total of 588 out of a possible 660.
At the conclusion of his rounds, the score was enough to place Pickering in fifth position. However, with further groups of elite archers still to shoot, the leaderboard remains highly fluid as the opening day of competition continues.
The Lancaster Archery Classic is celebrated for its unique "survive and advance" format, which emphasizes steady performance over perfection. Unlike many international tournaments where a single slip can end a campaign, the Classic rewards those who can remain "good enough" to reach the next stage.
For Pickering, the immediate goal is to remain within the top 32 to secure a spot in the elimination matches scheduled for Saturday. The qualification process will reach its climax tomorrow as the final groups finish their 60-arrow rounds. Once the brackets are finalized, archers will transition into the high-stakes head-to-head matches that define this prestigious indoor event.
Pickering enters the 2026 edition of the Classic with significant momentum, having gained invaluable experience at the Hyundai World Archery Championships in Gwangju, South Korea, late last year. As one of the first archers from the Caribbean region to compete at that elite level, his continued presence at major international tournaments highlights the rising standard of Bermudian archery.
While the ultimate prize for the Open Pro champion reaches 20,000 dollars, Pickering’s focus in the recurve division remains on technical precision as he builds toward the business end of the weekend. With three full days of competition remaining, the focus now turns to whether his opening-day total will be sufficient to keep him in the hunt for the shoot-up finals on Sunday.
