CHULA VISTA, Calif. – A record-setting number of archers are gearing up for the 2025 Easton Foundations SoCal Showdown, which takes place this week in southern California.
Almost 770 athletes have registered for this event, which is the third of four in the United States Archery Team (USAT) Qualifier Series. The previous high sits at 710.
As well as SoCal Showdown success being sought in the coming days, there are also athletes in recurve, compound and in the para division chasing places on the U.S. team for the World Archery Championships and the World Archery Para Championships.
Trials for these will unfold before, during and after SoCal Showdown. The final spots will be fought for on Monday, the day after the SoCal Showdown concludes.
Stage 1 of the Compound World Championships Trials will be held on Thursday. Additional stages for compound, para and recurve will be included in the qualification rounds of the SoCal Showdown before places are confirmed on Monday after a series of round robin matches.
The World Archery Championships and World Archery Para Championships are to be held in Korea in September.
While the main SoCal Showdown competition kicks off on Friday, there will be a mixed team event on Thursday afternoon. First to go on Friday will be the U18 and U21 divisions, with seniors, 50+ and para archers taking to the line on Saturday morning.
Casey Kaufhold has taken gold in the recurve women category the past three years. Her last defeat at the SoCal Showdown was in the gold medal match in 2021, when defeated 6-4 by Mackenzie Brown.
Brady Ellison had his run of success halted last year. He was beaten in the quarterfinals by eventual winner Jack Williams, having claimed the top prize from 2021-23. Williams and Ellison are back in Chula Vista this week.
A number of U18 gold medalists from the 2024 edition will look to continue to shine as they compete at the senior level. Kaylee Gurney (compound women) was fourth at the previous USAT event, the Easton Foundations Gator Cup, while Elizabeth Howe (barebow women) was silver medalist at this year’s AAE Arizona Cup.
Nicole Rasor returns to defend her title in the recurve 50+ women division, as do Ali Gungoraydinoglu (recurve 50+ men), Kenneth Brunko (compound 50+ men), Alanna Dunaway (compound 50+ women), Johannes Gildenhuys (barebow 50+ men) and Cindy Czako (barebow women).
Paige Pearce, hot off her win at USA Archery Field Nationals last weekend, will be eager for a repeat of her 2024 victory at the SoCal Showdown, when she overcame Oliva Dean in compound women. Dean had won the opening two USAT events and arrives in California having won Gator Cup. Pearce claimed gold at Arizona Cup in early April. Last year’s win for Pearce was her first since 2019 and ended a run of four SoCal Showdowns where she left with silver.
Among the athletes pushing for a place on the U.S. team for the World Archery Para Championships will be Paralympic gold medalist from 2024, Jason Tabansky, as well as fellow-Paralympians Tracy Otto, KJ Polish and Jordan White, plus Richard Burkett Jr., Wendy Gardner, Candice Caesar and Douglas Godfrey Jr. All will also be competing at the SoCal Showdown.
The gold medal matches in the senior division, across barebow, compound and recurve, will be broadcast live on USA Archery’s YouTube channel from 2pm PT on Sunday.
Click on the links below to keep up to date with all the latest scores and results, as well as - from Thursday - view photos from each session in Chula Vista.
WORLD TRIALS COMPOUNDWORLD TRIALS RECURVEWORLD PARA TRIALS
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