🏹 SOAR's Year-End Tournament: Archery Takes Center Stage at Robinsons Las Piñas

SOAR's year-end tournament last November 22-23 not just delivered the excitement, the thrill, and the wonder of the sport of archery to the participating competitors, but also to the public.

In line with SOAR's commitment to promoting archery to the public, the 2025 edition elevated the event to a new level. Keeping that promise, the competition was recently held in the highly visible main atrium of Robinsons Las Piñas, allowing shoppers and spectators to witness the intensity of the sport firsthand.

With the archers becoming front-and-center, the tournament vibe got a little more exciting. And the participating archers did not disappoint. To be able to join this tournament, an archer should have accumulated qualifying round scores from participating in at least one of the three 4D Archery tournament legs or get invited as a wildcard. Competition was fierce, as only the Top 8 archers in each division earned eligibility to register for the prestigious Archer of the Year tournament.

Day 1 showcased divisions tailored for beginner to intermediate archers: the Single-face Men's and Women's, the Open Tri-face, the Beginner Barebow, and the Bowhunter Men's and Women's divisions. Day 2, geared toward seasoned competitors, featured the Cubs (U-12), the Trad Division, and the 'Pro' tiers: Barebow Pro, Compound Pro, and Olympic Recurve Pro.

Day 1 Highlights: Beginner and Intermediate Battles

Day one started off with a powerful four-win streak by rank 7 archer Eduard Jhourell M. Basilio of Attack Arena, falling just one win short of getting a bronze. The SF-Men's division was eventually won by rank 1 archer, Ugn Velarde of Mission Hills Archery. The SF-Women's division was equally exciting with Audrey Abaincia of PANA Archery doing a 3-win streak before being stopped by the eventual winner Zoe Madrid of Team SOAR.

The open Tri-face division showed what it means to have progressed your archery skills to an intermediate level. Shooting three small targets, the participating archers were definitely showing their skills, notably Zhean Benito of Attack Arena who had a 3-win streak before being stopped by the 2nd place finisher, Audrey Abaincia. With back-to-back wins, Audrey had the momentum going for her but fell short while facing the rank 1 archer, Joseph Alas. In the end, Joseph dominated the match, winning Archer of the Year honors for this division.

The archers in the beginner barebow division showed why the phrase "barebow close" was coined. Several matches had scores swinging back-and-forth after each end. Notably Alfred Tangco of Team SOAR had a 4-win streak before being bested by another Team SOAR archer, Arfel Africa, who battled the eventual winner and rank 1, Edward Lamberte of Team SOAR.

The bowhunter division for men produced the only shoot-off of the tournament between wild card archer Aim Arallo and Rank 2 archer Jeff Pacubas, with Aim winning by just about a few millimeters. The bowhunter women's division was a toss-up among Team Soar archers. All participating archers in the division were equally skilled. However, Polly Madrid's tournament experience gave her the edge against Jan Villanueva to win first place.

Day 2 Highlights: The Pro Showdown

While Day 1 set a thrilling pace, Day 2 raised the stakes as the focus shifted to the advanced divisions, culminating in the crowning of this year's top archers.

Before the arrows flew, the competition was set by the archers' electrifying entrance. Each participant walked to the shooting area accompanied by their chosen theme song, creating a unique show for the public. Notable entrances included the model walks of Princess Cecillano and Jan Villanueva and the crowd-pleasing dance moves of Dudes Garcia and Arfel Africa.

The tournament was also honored by the presence of two dedicated paralympic archers, Daniel Gabriel of Arcus Archery and Art Azcuna of Team Pasig, who showcased incredible skill and dedication.

The Next Generation and Traditional Roots

The day began with the foundational divisions. The Cubs (U-12) division demonstrated the promising future of the sport, and the champion, Kristine Alexandra N. Pablo (Team SOAR), truly earned her title. Pablo dominated all three legs of the 4D qualifying tournament, winning gold in each event before securing the Archer of the Year crown. She was followed by Czedrick Thadeus Tamayo of Arcus Archery. Tamayo, despite starting at rank 7, mounted an inspiring challenge and competed for the gold before ultimately securing the silver. In the classic Trad Division, the top honors went to Iraya Barsana, proving traditional skill still reigns supreme, with Ardy Mercurio and Nathan Gatmaitan securing silver and bronze, respectively.

Pro Divisions: Precision Under Pressure

The afternoon was reserved for the Pro divisions, where seasoned archers battled for ultimate bragging rights.

• Compound Pro: This division saw incredible accuracy. Lee Robert San Diego of Mission Hills Archery dominated the field to claim the Compound Pro title, with Tobin Berry taking second place. Notably, Day 1 winner Edward Lamberte secured the bronze, showing versatility across equipment styles.

• Olympic Recurve Pro: The highly technical Olympic Recurve division delivered breathtaking competition. The biggest story was the champion, Joseph Alas (Richfield Archery). Alas entered the competition as a wildcard archer, starting from the very bottom rank, yet defied the odds to defeat every opponent. In a thrilling conclusion, Alas added the coveted Olympic Recurve Pro title to his Tri-face achievements, defeating strong contenders Juan Villamor and Lorenzo Señoren, both from Arcus Archery, who took silver and bronze, respectively.

• Barebow Pro: In a division where skill truly strips away technology, the competition was fierce. Marti Bartolome of Olympus Archery made a deep run, winning three straight matches before falling to Iraya Barsana (Team SOAR). Ultimately, Alfred Tangco showed mastery over the simple bow, winning the Barebow Pro title. Iraya Barsana claimed his second medal of the day with the silver, and Marti Bartolome took third.

🏆 Final Tally: The 2025 Archer of the Year Winners

After two days of intense competition, the SOAR year-end tournament not only concluded its 2025 season but also determined the official Archer of the Year (AOTY) for each division. Congratulations to all the winners who secured their places on the podium:

Division	Gold (Archer of the Year)	Silver	Bronze
Single Face - Men's	Ugn Carllyne Velarde	Alfonso Miguel Pablo	Gab Africa
Single Face - Women's	Zoe Madrid	Micayla Chua	Audrey Abaincia
Tri-Face	Joseph Alas	Audrey Abaincia	Ugn Carllyne Velarde
Beginner Barebow	Edward Lamberte	Arfel Africa	Noah Lufamia
Bowhunter - Men's	Gelo Lacuesta	Aim Arallo	Jeff Pacubas
Bowhunter - Women's	Polly Madrid	Jan Villanueva	Ocel Tan
Cubs	Kristine Alexandra N Pablo	Czedrick Thadeus Tamayo	Skyler Avila
Trad	Iraya Barsana	Ardy Mercurio	Nathan Gatmaitan
Compound Pro	Lee Robert San Diego	Tobin Berry	Edward Lamberte
Olympic Recurve Pro	Joseph Alas	Juan Villamor	Lorenzo Señoren
Barebow Pro	Alfred Tangco	Iraya Barsana	Marti Bartolome

🎉 Conclusion: A Triumph for Archery

The SOAR year-end tournament successfully delivered on its promise to bring the precision and thrill of archery to the public. By holding the event in the main atrium of Robinsons Las Piñas, hundreds of spectators were introduced to the focused intensity of the sport, creating an exciting atmosphere that motivated every archer.

From the model walks and dance moves of the entrance ceremony to the nail-biting shoot-off in the Bowhunter division, and the incredible wildcard run of Joseph Alas, the tournament was a true celebration of skill, dedication, and sportsmanship. We salute the paralympic archers for their participation and every competitor who stepped up to the line.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Robinsons Las Piñas for hosting this landmark event and to all the competing clubs and teams—including Team SOAR, Attack Arena, PANA Archery, Richfield Archery, Arcus Archery, Mission Hills Archery, Olympus Archery, and Team Pasig—who made the 2025 season unforgettable.

The stage is now officially set for the coming year. We look forward to seeing our Archer of the Year title holders defend their crowns and watching the sport of archery continue to grow!