Royal Archery Championship 2025
The 16 finalists and Royals.
32 archers registered to compete in the East Kingdom's Championship Tournament on Saturday, May 31, 2025. This year's competition was held at the Southern Region War Camp in Carillion. King Ryoukojin of the Iron Skies, Queen Indrakshi Aravinda and Prince Donovan Shinnock were on-hand to witness the start of the day's shooting, and the Queen presented her favor to each of the competitors. The retiring Archery Champions, Lord Ivarr Valsson and Lord Ander Tynegate, devised a fun competition with targets drawing from worldwide mythology.
All participants first shot the long distance shoot together, then the field was divided into teams of 6 and cycled through the other seven stations.
- World Serpent - at approximately 100 yards, 6 shots, untimed, hit anywhere on either standing target for 2 points, or drop in circle for 1 point, max 12.
- Advancing Kappas - at about 40, 30 and 20 yards, timed, 2 points for each hit on the target being called.
- Mongol Suns - 6 shots, untimed, 2 points for hitting the sun, negative 2 points for hitting the bird, max 12.
- Odysseus Axe Rings - timed, shoot into or on each ring, had to be done in order from left to right, 2 points per ring, max 10.
- Baba Yaga's House - 6 shots, untimed, near 40 yards, 2 points for hitting the house, no points (or negatives) for hitting the child escaping out the window or the supporting legs, max 12.
- Aswang - 6 shots, untimed, had to hit any one bag of salt on the ground (no points), then use remaining arrows to hit either creature for 3 points, max 15.
- Balanced Weight of Heart and Feather - timed, hits on a heart or feather were 1 point, bonus 2 points for each paired heart and feather.
- Cthulhu's Dreams - 6 shots, untimed, the dangling "tentacles" were obstructions worth no points, each "dream" hit was 3 points, max 18.
The targets.
Scores were totaled and sorted, then Captain General Ryan reminded all competitors that they could step out of the finals with honor if they felt they could not fulfill all the duties of Archery Champions. The following top scorers of the day bowed-out of the finals: Chris LeStrange (74, Atlantia), Li Kung Lo (70), David of Stierbach (70, Atlantia), Miles Bowman (68), Peter the Red (49), Miles de Locwode (46, Atlantia), Treya min Teanga (40, Atlantia), Ygraine of Kellswood (38), Jeromina de la Cueva (29) and Ragnall Cennetig (26). The final 16 competitors, were seeded and paired per below. Their total scores for the day are in parentheses.
The retiring Champions set up the range for head-to-head pairings, as has become tradition. The finals targets for each competitor were 4 branches which rotated on a hub, each branch ending in a block which had to be shot off; the winner of each pairing was the first archer to knock off all 4 of their blocks. Increasing technical difficulties -- and rain! -- led to changing these targets to the Odysseus Axe Rings target. The winners of the final two pairings were the first archers to hit on or within four rings (white through red, not gold) in any order. For the championship, the winner was the first to hit on or within all five rings, in any order.
Captain Ryan with the King and Queen; the new Archery Champions, Jozef and Lada.
The winner and Consort's Archery Champion was Sir Jozef Ludwiezak.
In Court, the King announced His chosen Champion to be Mistress Lada Monguligan.
The three Companions of the Order of the Rose present bestowed their tokens on Lord Magnus Surtsson, Baroness Elizabeth Hawkwood and Lord Durin Bastian.
| Top 16 | Quarter-Finals | Semi-Finals | Finals | ||
1 |
Magnus Surtsson (73) | ||||
16 |
Ellyn Grene (24) | Magnus | |||
12 |
Lilias de Cheryngton (31) | Magnus | |||
5 |
Douglas Douglas (54) | Douglas | |||
10 |
Matteo Genovese (39) | Magnus | 2nd | ||
7 |
Elizabeth Hawkwood (43) | Elizabeth | |||
3 |
Ryan Mac Whyte (68) | Elizabeth | |||
14 |
Lada Monguligan (29) | Lada | |||
4 |
Jozef Ludwiezak (61) | ||||
13 |
Durin Bastian (30) | Jozef | |||
8 |
Kay Leigh (42) | Jozef | |||
9 |
Dorian of Lewes (40) | Dorian | |||
11 |
Ian Douglas (35) | Jozef | Winner | ||
6 |
Julian Ridley (46) | Ian | |||
15 |
Deirdre Planchet (26) | Ian | |||
2 |
Kusunoki Yoshimoto (73) | Deirdre |
Round 1: the first eight pairings, including re-shoot of a final target.
Round 2: four pairings, including re-shoot after target change.
Semi-finals: two pairings.
Final pair.
Photos provided by Mistress Kay Leigh Mac Whyte, Lord Magnus Surtsson and Mistress Ygraine of Kellswood.
(Click on thumbnails to see larger versions.)