SoCal Showdown 2025

The USAT SoCal Showdown is a premier outdoor archery tournament and a key stop on USA Archery's United States Archery Team (USAT) Qualifier Series. Held annually in Southern California, the event attracts top-tier talent from across the country—including Olympians, Paralympians, elite professionals, and rising youth competitors. Athletes compete in recurve, compound, and barebow divisions, first shooting qualification scores and then moving on to head-to-head elimination matches.

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Beyond the competition, the event is known for its vibrant atmosphere, featuring vendor booths, live demonstrations, coaching opportunities, and strong community engagement. As a cornerstone event in the USAT calendar, the SoCal Showdown offers archers valuable ranking points and national exposure.

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From June 19–22, we were excited to return to the SoCal Showdown—not only as a vendor but also on the shooting line. At our booth, we sold pre-made and pre-stretched strings, featured live string-building demos and had some great conversations with archers from all over the country.

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But what made this year extra memorable? I competed in the tournament myself. Qualifications went okay, but the real excitement hit during the elimination rounds. After winning my first match, I found myself up against none other than Gabi Sasai—OCD Strings’ first-ever sponsored shooter. Gabi’s been shooting 1,000 arrows a week for years, so I knew I was in for a challenge. We battled it out, trading arrows and trash talk the whole way. (So much so that spectators questioned whether we were even taking it seriously!)

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It all came down to a one-arrow shoot-off. Gabi edged me out in the end—but watch out, Gabi. I’m coming for you next time!