The first time Sia Castle, 39, tried archery the arrows went everywhere except the target.

Nevertheless, she was instantly hooked.

Miss Castle is paralysed from the waist down and has rods in her back.

“It was like that for weeks (the arrows landed on the floor),” she said. “It took patience. I had to be patient with myself. I am used to trying to get things right away.

“It took awhile. I had to listen to my coach every step of the way in order to hold the bow properly and make the target.”

But she said she did not find archery without the use of her legs to be difficult.

“I have found it to be quite easy,” she said. “I didn’t find it that difficult. Mostly you are sitting and shooting. There are people out there in chairs shooting, and shooting well.

“Some people don’t have mobility of their hands or arms but are still able to pull the string back and let it go.”

She was first introduced to archery by local archer David Semos. “He has a group, and is often teaching little ones and anyone who wants to learn,” said Miss Castle. “He was invited to Windreach to expose us to the sport to see if we were interested. That was the first time I ever held a bow. I tried it and I liked it.”

Miss Castle recently placed first in the Desert Challenge in the archery 50 metres competition. She had a score of 416 out of 750.

“For my first time competing internationally, it was really good,” she said. “I was pleased.

“I love archery. This is my sport. It was nice to find something that I liked to do and was good at.”

She trains with Ken Martin three times a week at Windreach and has been training for two years. Normally, she shoots with a recurve bow, but during the Desert Challenge competition she had to use a compound bow. “A recurve bow is larger than a compound bow,” she said. “You would compete in the Paralympic Games with this. That is my goal, so I decided to use the recurve.

“It is easy to use. You pull it back with your arm, you hold your bow, you pull it back and let the arrow go. You have to know where the arrow is going, and make sure it hits the target.”

But because the Desert Challenge required the shorter and heavier compound bow, she started training with that two months ago.

She also enjoys a number of other sports including wheelchair basketball and hockey.

“I am very independent,” she said. “I can do a lot of things on my own. Windreach is a beautiful place because it is accessible. Like Mr. Hollis, she has found that many places and activities in Bermuda are not accessible.

“Windreach started out offering wheelchair basketball and now they have expanded what they can offer,” she said. “Windreach has been phenomenal for providing that for us.”

Miss Castle hopes to ultimately go on to the Paralympics, which is one of the top competitive sporting events for people with disabilities.

Her sister, Sasha Castle, who is able-bodied, also trains in archery.

“We do it together,” said Miss Castle. “It is kind of fun. We go back and forth over who is better. We compete. We are doing well individually and together.

“She is my agent. We all have to have an agent to be a Paralympian.”