NAIFC

Reality TV On Ice

The 2008 NAIFC Championship will be held in Rhinelander, WI on December 13th and 14th, 2008.  We would like to thank Ed at the Claridge-Best Western and Tammy at the Rhinelander Area Chamber for organizing and getting the funds together to make Rhinelander the home of the NAIFC Championship through 2010.  Details of the event will be announced in full in the days to come. If you decide to book your rooms before the welcome packet arrives from the Rhinelander Chamber please remember that the Hospitality Association members are funding the Championship.  The members are: Claridge-Best Western, Comfort Inn, Holiday Express, Super 8 and AmericInn.  Let’s pay them back by staying at their establishments while we pre-fish and during the Championship.

We plan on having seven tournaments to choose from in 2009.  We currently have three signed contracts, and are presently working out the details with Knutsons for their satellite tournament to be one of the qualifiers.  The entire tournament on Devils Lake is being run and organized by Jim and Tom Knutson with sponsor support from the local community.  Details for these events will be announced in the days to come.  We also have five host communities competing for the right to host the remaining three qualifiers.  We are working hard to lock in the final destinations by the end of August, and will pass on the details in the coming weeks.

NAIFC and Adventure Media are producing a new reality TV series called “Ice Men”.  The series will be shown on The Sportsman Channel Jan-March 2009 and repeat again Oct-Dec 2009.  We will be following the successes and failures of teams as they compete for the chance to become the NAIFC Champions.  Yup - you read that right - filming will take place during tournament series events.  This new and exciting television series will both educate and entertain audiences by revealing a candid, behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to prepare for, compete in and win world class ice-fishing tournaments.  It is a format that we feel will break the mold of traditional outdoors programs, and help bring more people out onto the ice.  As production ramps up, you can find more information at http://www.naifc.com/icemen.  By the way, you can (and should) now access the web site at http://www.naifc.com (.org still works as well).

Speaking of the web site, we gave it a facelift, making it a little more engaging and easier to use.  A couple of new features include weekly articles, photos, weigh-in videos and podcasts - of course there isn’t much multimedia content yet, but there will be plenty as the season progresses.  As new information continues to surface and sponsors come aboard, we will make weekly press releases on the NAIFC web site to keep you informed.

Thank you for your patience while we prepare for the 2009 season.  There is still much work to be done.  We take great pride in making this next season the best experience the sport has to offer.  All we ask is that you spread the word and join in the fun.