IFSA-USA president Jim Davis kicks off the premier American strongman season this weekend, with Art McDermott's X-treme Strongman Showdown in Wilmington, Massachusetts.

McDermott's contest is one of five qualifiers around the US this year, leading up to the US National Strongman Championships, which Davis will host in St. Louis.

The top four finishers from each qualifier, along with all the Americans who competed in the 2002 World's Strongest Man show, will be eligible to compete at the nationals.

Davis said that he as tentatively planned the finals for August 8th and 9th, with the first day being used to trim the field down to about a dozen guys.  On the second day, these remaining competitors will vie for the highly-coveted US invitations to the 2003 World's Strongest Man show.  Competitors, fans and sponsors alike can follow all the details on the official IFSA-USA web site.