I won’t even bother to comment. The following is the Email sent to IDPA shooters everywhere.
Awesomeness factor of 100 over 50.
The International Defensive Pistol Association is excited to announce the inaugural IDPA World Championship to be held September 21st – 24th, 2011 at the Universal Shooting Academy in Frostproof, Florida.
As IDPA continues to grow within the United States as well as abroad, and from interest within the membership, we realize that the time has come to host a World Championship. We have been working diligently to iron out the details of this event in order for our competitors to arrange their vacation schedules. We will keep you continuously up to date as other details are finalized.
An extra day will be added to this match to accommodate the increase in shooters interested in participating in this inaugural event. Competitors will compete over the course of two half days, thus allowing time to visit vendor areas, side matches and some of the attractions the area has to offer.
The Universal Shooting Academy (USA) facility comes with a knowledgeable staff that is accustomed to hosting large matches. We feel that between their dedication and the local area attractions we have selected an ideal location for the World Championship.
Located in central Florida, USA’s facility is located between three major cities: Orlando, Tampa Bay and Fort Myers. Between the three cities there are over 1,400 commercial flights daily. Competitors, media and bystanders can take advantage of all that central Florida offers including: Universal Studios, Disney World, Sea World, Cypress Gardens and the over 50 theme parks associated with these properties. These attractions are approximately 45 minutes from the tournament facility. Besides the major theme parks, there are hundreds of other fantastic attractions in this area. This is a perfect opportunity to schedule some family vacation time in conjunction with the match.
The 2010 National Championship had a record setting 392 competitors with 62 coming from outside of the US. This is almost double the foreign participation from the previous year. We expect the World Championship will substantially increase both of these numbers. The entry forms for this match will be released in the May issue of the Tactical Journal as well as on the IDPA website at the same time.
I can’t wait until my holster gets here.
Remember, you will need to be classified (probably Marksman or above) in the firearm you will be using and probably have at least one sanctioned match under your belt. I hope they don’t require 2 sanctioned matches like they do in the Nationals.
Bad news: There is a very high probability that you will need to have shot two sanctioned matches in order to attend the IDPA international. And from I was told, the next International will require for you to have shot the Nationals. Then again the next International will not happen here in the US.
Not sure I’ll event try to shoot it. But definitely going to find a way to be involved.