SAN DIEGO, California - The third event of the 2017 USAT Series began today with official practice for the Doinker SoCal Showdown. With the World Archery Senior, Youth and Para Championships coming in the next several weeks, competition is heating up across the board. New talents are emerging on the scene and records are falling as the level of USA competition continues to rise.
Over 400 archers are competing in qualification tomorrow and elimination rounds the following day, in categories for cadets, juniors, seniors and masters in the recurve and compound divisions.
"I'm super excited to see everyone, I think everyone's really excited to be shooting out here and enjoying the great weather," commented Tournament Director Keaton Chia. "Like every tournament you go to, it's a big reunion, and it's great to see that is happening here."
Masters archer Kelley Shand agreed: "There are lots of new archers coming and we keep growing. It's a fun group and we encourage each other. We're from all different places, which makes it even more fun. I came back into archery last year and the reason I kept coming back was the camaraderie. I love to shoot, but when you have everyone wanting to see you again next time, you want to keep coming back. Some of the masters archers are Olympians and World Champions or have been around for decades, and some are at their first tournament and started because they were watching their kids have all the fun and wanted to get in on it. I wish more of the old crew would come back too and I think they will start trickling back in!"
On the youth field, Casey Kaufhold has been having a stellar year in one of the most competitive brackets across the board: "I'm very excited, I've never been in California before," she shared. "It's beautiful with all the mountains. I've made a lot of friends at the USAT events this year and it's great to see them again. I'm most looking forward to the eliminations this weekend, I love competition and the adrenaline of going head to head."
Follow results from this weekend's competition here. For more, follow USA Archery on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and join the fun with #SoCalShowdown!
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