World Shoot Xv

[spook]

LOL, well, sounds like the Sheraton is "the place to be" (whoever saw that Seinfeld episode where Frank Costanza turned George's old room into a billiard room will smile now )

[Miguel Yamuni]

Shred

Is Marisa staying in the Sheraton too, along with Don?

Team Costa Rica will be there too!!!

We arrive Saturday morning, see ya guys there.

Erik and James

Will be nice to see you guys again!!

Take Care

Miguel

[Jack Suber]

Ecuador really isn't that bad (my Mom is from there and I used to spend summers in Guayaquil). My brother has been living there for 15 years. I have spent a lot of time there (coast, mountains, jungles) and never gotten seriously sick (I did get a hangover one time that I thought was going to kill me). I am taking my kids (8 and 12 yrs) with me and am not worried about it.

Guayaquil is a large city and I really wouldn't worry about any of the diseases unless you fall into a sewer or something. Just don't drink the water out of the river, or faucets on the street and you'll be OK. Actually stick to bottled water, liquor, beer, wine, and sodas. You needn't worry about the restaurants (you'll be able to tell if they are safe). For God's sake, do not eat food from street vendors. Avoid stuff like popsicles and icecrean from street vendors. I took two friends with me to the Ecuador Open in 2002. I briefed them to check with me before they ate ANYTHING. The second day of the match one of them comes walking up with a sandwich. I looked at it and asked what it was. He said, "I think its chicken salad." I asked, "Where did you get it." He responded, "there was a little guy with a cart in the parking lot selling them." I looked at him and said, "You are going to die." He said, "Nah, it tastes pretty good." The next morning he turned inside out. Which wasn't good because we had to fly to Quito for a trout fishing trip in the mountains. He was sick for the next 5 days. Stupid move on his part.

The main thing is to keep in mind that you are not in the States anymore. People there don't care how you do things in the States, or anywhere else for that matter. Don't act like an ugly American and remember that things tend to go slow there. If you a nervous driver, close your eyes when you ride in a car or a taxi - you won't like some of the things you see on the roads.

Quayaquil is a fun and pretty City. They have done a lot of redevelopment work there in recent years. Great nightlife and restaurants. Salinas, which is about an hour away, is a beautiful City on the beach. Worth the trip if you can swing it.

I am really looking forward to the match. On August 24th, it will have been 20 years to the day that I first shot IPSC in Ecuador, in Guayaquil. What a way to go back.

See y'all there.

[shred]

Shred

Is Marisa staying in the Sheraton too, along with Don?

Team Costa Rica will be there too!!!

We arrive Saturday morning, see ya guys there.

Erik and James

Will be nice to see you guys again!!

Take Care

Miguel

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup. Donald will no doubt announce his presence to any thousands in earshot. Marisa will have her presence announced by the thousands of people that know her wherever she goes. Me, I'm along for the ride.

[ong45]

Lookin forward to seeing you and Jorge, Miguel.

James

[JMD]

Lookin forward to seeing you and Jorge, Miguel.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You guys have our rooms!

We were moved to the new HoJo's. I thought the orange roof was gone forever...

Should you have any worry about catching "anything" it will be self induced.

Safe trip to all,

Joel

[longslide]

Greetings.

After a many, many inquires, I thought that I would “chime in” and let everyone know what is going on in Tulsa. We are proceeding with the planning and building of The United States Shooting Academy, which will be the premiere competition and one of the finest Law Enforcement and Tactical training centers in The United States. Let’s focus first on the competition side.

With over 33 bays dedicated to competition, USSA will be the finest competition facility in the Nation. For too long now competitors in the shooting sports have not been perceived on the same level as say Golf, Tennis, etc. I am going to change that. By showcasing the shooting sports in the same way that other professional sports do, we will elevate them to a more nationally acceptable level. We also need to treat our shooters as athletes and not just sportsmen. What is the difference between a Doug Koenig and Tiger Woods? Or Rob Leatham and Vijay Singh? Nothing! All four train at their sport. All four are involved in equipment development for their respective industries. All four are professional athletes and should be treated as such. Our athletes also need to be paid just as all professional athletes are paid. By involving non industry companies as well as our industry vendors, we can change the focus and public perception from hobby to sport. Competitions held at USSA will focus on this issue. There has always been the tradition of the prize table which will be honored, but by adding prize money in all divisions as well as in all of the classes, we will reward shooters at all levels as well as hoping to encourage new people to participate.

I also believe that shooters should not love one shooting sport and hate others. Even though I have not been around this industry for very long, this is something that I have noticed. By encouraging the different shooting sports to work together, we can lead by example to people that would like to get involved which raises awareness, which raises company participation, which raises prize money. Get the idea yet? I encourage all of my shooters to shoot IPSC, Action Pistol, Steel Challenge, Three Gun, IDPA, The Masters, ICORE, GSSF and rifle competitions as well as any other venue that they want. They tell me that it’s the musician, not the instrument. If well all can take that to heart, we can all be better athletes.

There are still too many matches that take too long to shoot. By building a facility that can handle 600, 700, 800 shooters in a reasonable time, we cut down the time away from families, work, other interests. We also cut down hotel expenses, car rentals, dining out, etc. This keeps more money in people’s pockets. Another benefit. With a location in the center of The United States, we make it easy for all people to get to us. Since we have a major airport located with 12 minutes of the Academy, we get rid of expensive commuter flights. Tulsa has everything to offer for our athletes as well as their families.

You name it; we got it (except for an ocean). Many hotels are just minutes away and with the City of Tulsa and the Chamber of Commerce behind the project, you can rest assure that rates will be very competitive. Since Tulsa already has a thriving shooting population, there are many people that want to be involved with the support of matches, but by running competitions as a business, I think that having paid employees working the matches along side that volunteers, we can work a more precise timetable for match preparation and execution.

Since the weather in Tulsa is not very “nasty”, major matches will take place between March and November. Smaller matches will be held al twelve months. Since 2006 will be a short year, I am planning only 4 majors. I qualify a major as having at least 400 competitors. 2007 will be the first full year and the plan is for 9 majors as well as the state and local level matches. In 2008, I will make my bid for the World Shoot to be held at USSA. It needs to come to The United States. I also believe that The Handgun Nationals, The Three Gun Nationals, The Bianchi Cup and others should try to make Tulsa their permanent homes.

The Law Enforcement side is another matter. I believe that we should have the highest respect for the men and women who put their lives on the line to protect the rest of us night and day. By the same token, we should make sure that they are up to date with the finest training that is available. I want to make sure that it is available to them. USSA will offer live fire scenarios including shoot houses, urban street settings, interactive combative training, hostage rescue, carbine and submachine classes, Simunitions training, and sniper training as well as classroom critique and video summations. There will be an armory on site so students will be able to check their weapons and know that they are secure. There will also be guest houses available should squads or individuals wish to stay at very inexpensive rates. When those are completed, we should be able to house up to 100 people on site.

I hope that I have been able to answer a few of the questions that people have been asking. Even though the website is under construction, it already has a great deal of information on it including a copy of the site plan. Since our webmaster is in house, the site can change daily. Please check back often. Curriculums should be posted by the end of October 2005 with match schedules released in November so that students and athletes can plan their schedules for the upcoming year. As you all imagine, this projects is taking a great deal of time, so it is sometimes hard for me to answer email on the same day. If you would like to send me your thoughts, please do so and I will respond as soon as I am able to. I appreciate your time and dedication to the shooting sports and I sincerely hope that by working together, we can raise the level of awareness and the participation in the shooting sports.

Best wishes to all of you athletes,

Tom Fee

President / CEO

United States Shooting Academy

[John Heiter]

Wow, talk about stepping up. Tom, this sounds fantastic. Good luck with all you're trying to do.

[Trenavd]

Tom,

Could you please supply the web site.

Thanks

[joseywales]

url is http://www.usshootingacademy.com/

[prh]

Tom,

This sounds great!!

Thanks,

Paul

[EricW]

Hmmm.....Bali?.....Tulsa?.....Bali?.....Tulsa.....

[Catfish]

Tom - wow. Where do I sign up? Best of luck with the project, I can't wait to see it!

Derrick

[Kevin Kline]

Sounds great, but somewhere else on this forum, it was already decided that Indonesia got it and apparently NO ONE else even raised their hand or attempted to submit any other location but Indonesia.

Oh well, maybe 6 years from now I'll shoot it.

[shred]

I think the plan was to bid on the next WS at the one in Indonesia.

[ErikW]

In 2008, I will make my bid for the World Shoot to be held at USSA.

The Pan American match was held in Guayaquil, which later got the World Shoot. The AustralAsian match was held in Bali, which later got the World Shoot.

I think you will increase your chances of getting the World Shoot by holding a major USPSA/IPSC match, with IPSC bigwigs attending, before bidding for the WS. Basically, I think you need to run the US Nationals to show you can run 300-400 competitors effortlessly.

And for god's sake, make sure the local hotels have wash cloths.

[BritinUSA]

I think they definately need to host a big match between now and the next World Shoot, but the decision on where to host the WS is down to the Regional Directors from each region. If more than one country puts in a bid then it comes down to the presentation.

A good presentation, with video of the range and facilities on offer will go a long way to impress the RD's. Any presentation needs to use small words, not large ones. Most of the RD's speak English but it is a second language. A written presentation given to the RDs before the General Assembly will allow them to read it before hand - most people can read English better than they can listen to it.

I've attended a bunch of these IPSC Assembly's.

[cliffwalsh]

this just in today::

BALI, Indonesia (AP) - At least two bombs exploded almost simultaneously Saturday in tourist areas of the Indonesian resort island of Bali, killing at least 19 people and wounding 51 others, officials said. The blasts came a month after Indonesia's president warned of possible terrorist attacks.

can't wait ?????????

[ErikW]

Well as long as we're posting sensationalist Bali paranoia...

Bali police are going into bars and forcing tourists (Australians) to take drug tests.

[Two Mikes]

Well as long as we're posting sensationalist Bali paranoia...

Bali police are going into bars and forcing tourists (Australians) to take drug tests.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Mutiple choice or essay?

[B.J. Norris]

According to the State Dept Travel Advisory for Ecuador, a bomb was set off along the Malecon (I think anyway, I'd have to look it up), which is an easy walk from where the Opening ceremonies were held for WS XIV. Unless things are really bad, I'll be there, who's with me?

Edited October 1, 2005 by B.J. Norris

[shred]

I'm there. With luck and a few more terror warnings flights will be cheep.

[dirtypool40]

how crazy are their gun laws?

[Vlad]

how crazy are their gun laws?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm no expert but from what I understand they could be compared Jack Torrance when it comes to sanity. Thats Jack of "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." and "HERE'S JOHNNY" fame.