Team Evolution

[Ron 7]

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I would love to HEAR how you have heard Team Evolution as being unprofessional.

Stories just like this both told word of mouth and on boards.

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I once heard that a UFO crashed in Rosswell but I don't go around claiming on website's that its true..

Did you see me claim its true? However since I have read about the UFO I have paid more attention to stories about them...Just as since I have heard bad stories about TE that I pay attention when they are told by others....

You see if one guy says something I tend to not give it much credit...Now if 5-10-20 people say the same thing...Well it starts getting credible.

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I personally feel bashed from these threads and have worked to hard to build a positive reputation to be slandered.

Then maybe you should be careful about who your team jokes with about what?

I have NEVER heard a PD rep say anything bad about another product or even joke about someone elses choices.

You have the choice to try and control the image of your team....It seems that maybe you need to control it better and not let your team, or the "Groupies" run around slamming others or other products even in jest.

You see what happens when they do.

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but I think it's completely unnecessary and inmature to express hearsay and the opinions of other people.

Well your team built the reputation it has, not me. Maybe you need to own up to the fact that some of the things you have done have brought about that bad reputation and work to change it?

Consider this thread a wakeup call to do better. But attacking people for their opinions is a bad way to promote a positve image. Particularly in this case where the reputation is that your guys attack others for not jumping your sponsors products.

Just a thought...You of course are free to do as you please.

"No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms." -- Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson Papers, 334

[TALONSKY 0]

Hey Jeff:
At no point in time did I state anything other than they are not very professional. Now you yourself state in your post that they would “tease people that did not own Icarus products”. Sorry, but if it was just another jumper than; yeah, that it would be fine. However, when they are Rep’s for a company I feel a certain amount of professionalism is called for. I do not know what most would say but I would state “teasing” more than once or twice would cross the line to being unprofessional. Also at no point in time did I ever state I spent a lot of time with them, I did state I was doing tandems most of the time.
Kirk

[TALONSKY 0]

The one thing I find intriguing about this thread is out side of a team member. No one is rebutting the fact that they did and do tease people about there not owning Icarus products. If I am sooo wrong I find it interesting that three people have collaborated what I have stated. Even one (thanks Jeff) that was for them.
Kirk

[TALONSKY 0]

You know Jeff; I have to say I find many things about your post intriguing. One of which is the way you articulate yourself. Now it seems to me that in essence what we have is a differing opinion of definitions. One being you feel it would not be considered unprofessional to “tease” (lets just say for augment sake more than twice) someone that is not jumping a canopy from the manufacture that “They” represent. In my post I obviously feel the opposite. Next would be that you feel that bringing their behavior to light is being a “crybaby”. Now once again, I have to counter and say the propose of bringing it up is so that “they”(the team) find out how others may perceive their actions and yes to may be let the company (Icarus) see how their rep’s really represent them.
Kirk

[tattoojeff 0]

hey kirk, i apologize for saying cry baby. i was pretty hot when i read all this. you definitly have a right to your opinion. i tried to delete it but its too late. anyway things said by steve and yourself are totaly exegerated. especialy the bullshit about giving high performance canopys to unqualified jumpers. the person steve refers to already has many jumps under a saph 1 135, not to mention he does NOT have problems with landings!!! so your definitly making it out to be more than it is. i cant believe you guys are making this big a deal out of the past weekend.
o well to each his own but at least be fucking honest about what happened. and trust me ther will be others backing up what im saying.

[ManBird 0]

Jeff, you're reading everything too seriously. Here's a tip, any time you read one of my posts, listen to the most ridiculous Mr. Bungle track you can think of. That should help set the tone. Seriously, never take me seriously.

And I am being honest and what was thrown my way went way beyond "teasing." I was personally insulted and the insulting was persistent. And canopy control is more than landings. Flying in traffic is said jumpers main issue. IMO, canopy collision due to errant flying is worse than landing improperly. Let me put it this way:

19 yo male
1.48:1 W/L
<200 jumps
History of traffic issues

RECIPE FOR DISASTER



I know these are your boys and you were having some good times with them. Not everyone gets the same treatment. Who on this planet treats everyone the same way? No one. I don't freefly. I don't fly Icarus products and I didn't want to demo any. On top of which, I hold people's hands softly and gently for five seconds while staring them in the eyes. I don't get the same treatment.

FYI, I had some issues going on at home that kept me away on Sunday. I returned to the DZ Sunday morning in hopes that I could avoid the attitude and just make some jumps, but that was not the case.

"¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯"

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[GiaKrembs 0]

Hey Brett,

Sorry that this was thrown in all your faces this week! What a crappy way to end a good weekend in Portland

I know that you all have worked very hard, and I have the utmost respect for all that you do (you have alot of hurdles presented to you). Not everyone takes the time to get to know you all, or understand you all like some of us. I don't think that most people understand the humor that some of the team members/reps have, because they don't have the time to get to know you all better. (maybe the business hat's need to be worn i/o the fun hat)
In hindsight, yes, the joking around that happened perhaps was not a good idea (like it was a forethought~!). However it was very honorable of you to step up to represent your team and Icarus to offer an apology - for that I give you KUDOS!!!!
To the rest, I don't know you all.... but obviously you got a bad taste for the boys ~ perhaps i/o of bashing you can all take a moment to get to know each other a little better. I know all these guys (Evolution peeps), and if they knew that it was genuinely bothering you they would have apologized (probably even bought you a beer to talk it over).... it was not in harm, it was in good fun!

Can't we all just get along! ciao, g

Raddest ho this side of Jersey #1 - rest in peace brother
Beth lost her cherry and I missed it
.... you want access to it, but you don't want to break it.

[rhino 0]

Don't judge a book by it's cover. Judge it by what is inside.

Strangly. No one has ever even hinted to me or anyone I know about flying another canopy? Or peer pressure if you will. If some jack ass came up to me and started talking shit because I jump a crossfire2 I would laugh in his face and tell him to grow up.

No one should by into that "This is an Icarus" "This is a PD" "This is an Precision" canopy DZ crap. Screw anyone that pressures anyone into a certain brand of canopy.

Jump the damn things. Jump what you personally like and fuck anyone that tells you otherwise.

Rhino

[jose 0]

Brett,

All I can say is that I felt honored to be a part of the jumps that I was on with your team. That weekend was one of my highlights to my career as we did attemps at the Oregon state vertical record. Brett, your a cool ass dude and I hope that I get the chance to fly with you guys again. If the accusations are true or not, I would hope that in the future any issues would be taken up personally and not publically, as there is many misunderstandings and misconceptions with these kinds of issues. I only pray that this doesn't scare you guys off from ever attending the Freedom Jam again. I hope to see you guys next year, if not sooner.

Cheers bro, I had a great time.

[TALONSKY 0]

I have a tendency to focus on the negative without looking at the positives. Even though there is validity in my statements in this thread, some things are better left unsaid and this thread is one of them. After talking to a few more people that attended this event it is clear that far more people enjoyed the presents of Team Evolution than were offended by them.
Kirk

[tattoojeff 0]

hey steve and all who had a bad time this past weekend. sorry if i tore you a new asshole. i should have slept on it before i posted. i stand by my defense of the whole dangerous method stuff but im also sorry you and dusty or jason got off to a bad start. for what its worth dusty had good things to say about you. caryn brought your name up one evning and we were telling steve stories laughing our asses off. thats why i said you took it the wrong way. he didnt mean to piss anyone off. he's alot like me hes not to p/c and kind of ruogh around the edges but i tell you dusty and jason are some of the most solid people ive met in this sport. i hope this at least takes the sting ouit of any comments made. my point being he didnt have intentions of offending you, but you definitly had intentions of getting them in hot water with their sponsors with what you said as well as making them look like a bunch of assholes in front of the whole skydiving community. thats why i got so pissed.
ill say this to everyone then im out. team evolution are a great group of people. there not all fluffy and bunny like, but they're some of the realist people ive met in this sport. i also feel they're very proffesional and take what they do more serious than most.
peace bro

[linestretch 0]

wow, I miss my home DZ.

my pics & stuff!

[b1jercat 0]

Trust me it ain't the same , after you, Archie and Pete left.

blues

jerry

[bbarnhouse 0]

BB waves at JJ
Archie gone...Pete gone...seems things always have to change.Look on the bright side though...Opie is still there! LOL
As to this post. Perception is the key word here. If someone had an experience that wasn't positive...why try to discount it? It was after all THEIR experience. Which might be different than the experience that others had. It doesn't mean that it didn't happen.
I am an aquaintence of two of the members of this team...the other two I know very well.
It doesn't serve a purpose to try to defend them, or negate Kirk's experience.
I can only hope that all the parties invloved will use this as a learning experience and try to do better the next time.
Regards.
B2

[airgord 1]

This is why I left.

[SkymonkeyONE 3]

Betsy is correct. Everyone is going to come out of events with different perceptions and experiences. No need to bash Steve for relating his personal experiences. That said, I am friends with all of the guys on Evolution and they are all fantastic skydivers. Everyone has his own personality and it's too bad that one person's ribbing got to Steve (and whoever else might have been offended). I am sure there was no malice intended.

Chuck

[ManBird 0]

Good lord, what a dramafest. It comes down to this -- some people that were helping run the Icarus demo station were being inconsiderate and unprofessional. Some people, myself included, got a big dose of it. End of story.

Overall, I had a great time. If I really wasn't enjoying myself, then I wouldn't have come up with a new skydiver's handshake that makes people uncomfortable. I bailed early mainly because of some bad/sad news I got regarding a family member. The attitude from a few individuals was just a bonus. Well... that and the fact that Dusty wouldn't smell my finger or let me hold his hand. Freedom Jam was a GOOD event and this bit was a very small aspect of it that is getting WAY too much attention.

On a side note... I knew I shouldn't have gone to Idaho this weekend... Kirk passed me up in jump numbers. Well, skydives, anyway.

"¯"`-._.-¯) ManBird (¯-._.-´"¯"

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