(Photo: Facebook) Claudia and Jojo Vidanes during a competition in Las Vegas
Those who were there at the last IPSC World Shoot in Greece, were able to notice Jojo Vidanes’s family, which drew people’s attention not only for their friendliness, but also for being focused on the competition. This year, the athlete was proud of competing in the same squad as her firstborn’s, Claudia Vidanes, who took part in an international IPSC competition for the first time.
His family’s relationship with sport goes beyond competitions. Jojo owns a Practical Shooting custom gun company, as well as a running gun IPSC Club in the city of Norco, California, where there are weekly competitions. In addition to all this, the family has one more passion: hunting.
“I am an avid hunter and usually take the whole family hunting (…) Claudia is 14 and she started hunting when she was five, got her hunting license when she was seven and started competing in IPSC three years ago, right after the World Shoot in Bali,” says Jojo.
(Photo: Facebook) Jojo with his wife, Marissa Vidanes and their two daughters at a shooting stage
The beginning
Filipino descendent, the shooter’s family moved to the U.S. in 1984, when he was a teenager, thanks to a petition filed by his grandfather who managed to get the immigration status for the whole family. In the late 80’s Jojo had his first contact with IPSC and soon started competing: “I tried an IPSC indoor match in 1991 and got hooked ever since.”
Five years later, the athlete joined the Open U.S. team and shot his first World Shoot in Brazil, 1996. Even though the U.S.A. hadn’t recognized the Modified division in 2005, Vidanes competed in an unofficial U.S. team then. In 2008, with the division being recognized by the U.S.A., the athlete won the title of world champion. In 2011, Jojo finished in 7th place and claimed to have experienced the worst of the six World Shoots he has taken part in.
(Photo: Facebook) Jojo hunting with his daughters, Claudia and Isa Vidanes
Plans for 2012
With the end of the Modified division in 2012, the athlete is deciding between competing again either in Open or Classic. Besides, Jojo Vidanes intends to take a few days off before restarting his training program with Claudia, and starting training Isa, his youngest daughter. Only nine years old, the baby sister has already unfolded a desire to join the sport.
“My business and hobbies are around shooting sports and they (Claudia and Isa) were exposed to it. I did not force any of them to shoot, they both wanted it on their own.”