Jim Davis, who has brought the World's Strongest Man (WSM) qualifiers in the US to a new level this year, is already developing plans for the 2003 season.

Davis, who heads IFSA-USA, said that he is aiming for six to eight regional qualifying competitions leading up to the final selection for the 2003 World's Strongest Man contest.  Each contest is seen as having a prize list in the range of $10,000 to $15,000 and the top four competitors from each contest, along with the five Americans who qualified for WSM 2002, will go forward to the semi-finals, which will probably be held in early July 2003.  Approximately 16 - 18 competitors will advance from the semi-finals to the finals, which will be held at the end of July or early August 2003.

Davis expects to kick off the new season on October 12, 2002 in Virginia, with a competition put on by Gayle Schroeder, and he is in discussion with other established promoters about contest dates in the new season.  Davis said he welcomes bids from new promoters, as well, and is especially interested in receiving proposals for competitions based on the West Coast.