Name: Age: Height: Weight: DOB: Birthplace: Eye Color: Hair Color: Location: Status: Contact: Occupation:   Jonathan Alexander Tagle 38 5'7.5" 150 lbs. 03/10/1969 Bellevue, WA Brown Dark Brown Murrieta, CA Single :) jonathan@flight-1.com Director of Marketing & Skydiving Instructor & Pro Swoop Competitor I was born in Bellevue, Washington, on March 10th, 1969. Here's a list of events that happened in 1969. Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong is the first human to set foot on the moon. The supersonic passenger jet, The Concorde, makes its first test flight. Quarterback Joe Namath leads the New York Jets to a stunning Super Bowl victory over the Baltimore Colts. Top motion pictures included Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Love Bug, and Oscar-winner Midnight Cowboy. Top television shows include Laugh-In, Gunsmoke, Bonanza, and Mayberry, R.F.D. Top rock'n'roll hits include Aquarius, Sugar, Sugar, Crimson and Clover, and Time of the Season. I grew up mostly in the suburbs of Chicago, IL, where I went to elementary schools in Sterling and Aurora, and attended Thompson Jr. High School (6th-8th) in Montgomery. With not much to do in the flat plains of Illinois, a creative young boy can get in trouble from time-to-time. My friend Danny and I had a fascination with fire and explosives. We'd set fire to and blow up just about anything - model cars, army men, frogs, etc. We'd even build our own M-100s. We'd cut open about ten to twelve regular firecrackers, then pour the powder into a regular M-80 and seal it up real tight. We buried one once with a longer wick. It left about a one foot crater in the ground. One time we got in trouble for lighting firecrackers at the school bus stop. When we got to school, the principal called us all into his office to lecture us about proper conduct. Little did we know that the lecture wasn't the only thing we were expecting. He took out a long wooden paddle and made us bend over and put our hands on his desk. He'd say,"Look at the hockey players on the wall." And then, WWWHHHAAACK! Damn Canadian. Other typical after-school activities included; fishing, launching rockets, shooting BB guns, slingshots, and archery, lighting bottle rockets, playing Atari, shooting hoops, riding bikes and listening to Led Zepplin, Def Leppard, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, etc. In the winter, we'd have snowball fights and skitch (slide behind cars in the snow) around the neighborhood. In the summer we spent most of our time at the swimming pool. After graduating from Thompson, I attended Oswego High School, where I completed my Freshman year. I was involved in Track & Field, Soccer, and Wrestling. The sports kept me busy and out of trouble...mostly. From there it was off to California. Moving to the west coast gave me a whole new perspective on life. What a difference from Illinois, both geographically, and culturally. During the remaining years of high school, I met all kinds of people, and made lots of friends. My best friend Wilbur Berrios and I hung out the most, though. Even efter all these years, we still keep in touch. Shortly after high school I moved to Buenos Aires, Argentina for a period of nine months. I became very close with my aunts, uncles, and cousins, and got to really understand the Argentine culture, it's geography and it's people. It was a great experience. After returning to the U.S., I went to work for Philips Semiconductors, where I stayed for seven years. I was the Lead Operator in the reprographics department, and it gave me plenty of time to study aviation. A friend of mine, Carlos, rented a Cessna 172, and took me for a flight over the San Fransisco Bay. We flew right over Candlestick Park, the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, and the TransAmerica building in downtown SF. I was hooked. I had to do it. So off to school I went to learn how to fly. With a flexible schedule, I could fly about 3 times a week, as I prepared for my ground school exams. I became so hooked in fact, that after I got my private pilot license I went for the instrument rating too. Carlos gave me pointers and helped me every step of the way. We even flew two Cessna 172 RGs to Catalina Island once. He went on to become an Airbus 320 Captain flying for America West. The most memorable trip I ever had was a seven day tour from Palo Alto to Denver and back with my friend Pete Olsen. Along the way, we flew over Yosemite, Mt. Whitney, Death Valley (120 degrees), Las Vegas, Hoover Damn, Lake Mead, Grand Canyon, Lake Powell, Monument Valley, Canyon City, Colorado Springs, Aspen, Denver, Salt Lake City, Crater Lake, Mt. Shasta, Mt. Lassen, and then down the coast of California back to Palo Alto. That was quite an adventure. During this period, I joined a Hawaiian outrigger canoe club, where I led a six man team as a steersman. I continued paddling for aproximately 8 years, and accumilated many medals in sprint competitions as well as long distance (10-14 miles) races. I learned a lot about the fascinating Hawaiian culture and many of their traditions. I have made many friends through paddling that will forever be in my thoughts. My fascination with computers soon took over my interest in flying, and I quickly began spending my money on hardware and software, memory upgrades, etc. What started as a part time hobby in desktop publishing soon became a career in multimedia. I attended Master's Institute for 2 years and graduated with and AS in Multimedia Communications. As the Internet started to evolve, I instantly began to learn how to design web sites. My first web site design was for a small research company, where I held the position of Graphic Artist. I later went on to start a web design company with two friends from school, Eric and Jim. We designed a web site for PIP Printing, and then I decided to get a job with an ISP(Internet Service Provider). At Galaxy-NET Telecom, my skills really began to take off. Being exposed to the Internet in its raw form, helped me to understand how everything worked. I entered the company as a webmaster, and one year later became the Director of the Advanced Projects department with two direct reports. The experience there helped me land a job at Infogrames North America, which at the time only consisted of 14 people. The French based company was expanding its presence in the United States in order to compete with the top players in the video game industry. In less than three years, Infogrames became a major player boasting over 2000 employees through acquisitions and mergers including ATARI. Along the way, I continued to excel in my position, and was rewarded with several promotions and raises, eventually becoming the Director of Online Marketing. I was finally feeling like things were coming together for me. And then........ I learned to skydive. It quickly took over. I started skydiving at Skydive Monterey Bay, and finished my AFF levels 1-7 in just a week. What was a weekend hobby turned into a full-time habit. I was laid off from Infogrames due to the Headquarter relocation to New York. With a sweet severance package, it gave me the flexibility I needed to skydive as often as I wanted. Introduced to me by my Skydive University coach, Christina, I had visited Skydive Elsinore on various occasions. The atmosphere was extremely friendly, and the plethora of talent walking around the DZ was amazing. I was inspired by people like Bob Healy, John Hamilton, Todd Hawkins, Kathee Johnson, J.C. Colclasure and Heath Richardson. If I wanted to take skydiving serious, this would be the place to be. So I "cut-away" from all my corporate ties, and moved to sunny Southern California to pursue skydiving full-time. I began getting RW coaching, participating in skills camps, and attending seminars on canopy control, packing, and flying techniques. I started trying other disciplines, like freeflying, and skysurfing. I kept honing my canopy skills as well as my flying skills. Each time trying new things, getting more familiar with my equipment, and gaining valuable advice from the experts. Over the course of my first year in this sport, I managed to accumulate over 800 jumps. I became a Skydive University and USPA certified Coach, which taught me a few things about myself. I began shooting video and stills for tandems and AFF students through Xtreme Airsports (the Skydive Elsinore school). I also competed on a 4-way team (Elsinore Mach 4) with Chaz, Noelle, and Rob. We placed 2nd in the intermediate division at the last meet of the season, the SSL (Southwest Skydiving League) playoffs. In September 2001, I moved to Murrieta (only 10 minutes from the dropzone) with a skydiving friend Ben Strader. We became good friends, jumped together and hungout regularly. His motivation inspired me to attaining my goals, and I am greatful. As Ben put hard work and focus into his high performance engine tuning shop, I began to hone my high performance canopy piloting skills; learning everything I could from the Pros. I became inthrawled in the pursuit of the perfect swoop. What is a swoop? The dictionary describes a swoop as a swift descent through the air as if in an attack; "The raptor swooped down on its prey". Much like a "raptor", a high performance canopy pilot will initiate a steep turn towards the ground in order to build speed. As the canopy recovers from the dive to straight and level, the pilot will then slowly convert the excess speed into lift over a certain period of time and distance while flying mere inches above the ground. In some cases, a canopy pilot will even drag a part of the body (usually a foot) along the surface of the water, creating a spectacle of grace and speed. Swooping has now become a new official discipline in skydiving, embraced by the USPA and FAI on a global level. In 2002, I began my debut as an intermediate canopy pilot in a swoop competition at Perris Valley Skydiving. I then went on to compete in the pro division later that year. I was still new on the swoop circuit and I continued to learn everything I could about high performance canopy flight in preparation for the 2003 Pro Swoop Tour (PST). "Minds are like parachutes. They only work when they're open." -- Unkown In the meantime, as I became better at shooting video for 4-way formation teams, I was eventually picked up by Elsinore GT to fly camera for the 2003 season. This was perfect. I could shoot video for the team and train for swooping at the same time. I also decided to go back to work in marketing full-time. It was the only way to pay for all the registration fees and travel expenses and gain valuable competition experience. I was beginning a journey that would eventually get me closer and closer to my dreams. 2003 was a year of trials and tribulations; unforgiving experiences and frustrations. My employer was becoming unstable and their promises of promotions and raises were losing strength. After a hard working season with Elsinore GT, we took 4th place at Nationals; just out of medal contention. On the PST, I had frustrating finishes in the middle of the pack all season. The 1st World Cup of Canopy Piloting had humbled me to the n-teenth degree, by turning a possible 4th place finish into 13th in the last round of the competition. I have to thank Jim Slaton for the excellent coaching and preparation I was given two weeks before this event. All of those experiences gave way to a deeper understanding about myself physically, mentally and emotionally. "When I believe I can do something, then I acquire the ability to do it, even if I did not have the ability in the beginning." -- Mahatma Gandhi A time of reflection and new challenges was upon me. I went for my AFF Instructor Rating with Jay Stokes, and passed. Elsinore GT asked me back as their camera flyer for another year, and I accepted. Around the same time, Ben was getting frustrated with his partnership and the high costs of owning a performance shop, and I was at the end of the rope with my employer. Ben had been giving successful 2-day seminars on Electronic Fuel Injection (EFI) Tuning as a hobby, when we started to through around the idea of turning it into a full time business. The next thing you know, EFI University (www.efi101.com) was born. 2004 became the year of discipline, dedication, and determination; of personal achievements and business successes; of new friendships and building relationships. Never before was I so clear and focused about my challenges and goals. I knew exactly what I wanted and I knew exactly what I needed to do to get it. "One of the great discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn't do." -- Henry Ford "And in 4th place, making his debut in the standings for the money... Jonathan Tagle", were the words that came from Lyle Presse that night in April. The Pro Swooping Tour was underway, and I was right on track. 2004 was off to a great a start with a top five finish on the PST, my first cover shot on Skydiving Magazine, and EFI University was becoming a huge success. The hard work and swoop training was starting to pay off. By mid May I was on a new canopy (VX83) and training on it in preparation for the next PST event, the 2nd Annual Swoop Festival in Wildwood, NJ. A 5th place overall finish put me in 2nd place for the season rankings. With the momentum building, I planned to go and compete in Spain and Holland in July. This trip would soon turn out to be the most significant two weeks in my canopy swooping career. Taking 2nd place in Spain and 4th place in Holland, I was continueing the trend of finishing in the top five. It would take me three more of these pages to describe 1) how much spiritual and intellectual learning went on for me, 2) the experiences both great and small that contributed to attaining my goals, and 3) the gratitude of meeting many new friends and building stronger relationships with some of the most respectable canopy pilots on the planet. Pilots like Ian Bobo, Jay Moledski, Shannon Pilcher, Jeff Provenzano, Luigi Cani, J.C. Colclasure, and Bruno Brokken. These guys have a lot of heart, and they shared it with me freely. For that I am greatful. "The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person's determination." -- Tommy Lasorda The next big competition was at The Ranch in Gardiner, NY. After the first days events, I sat in 3rd place behind Jeff Provenzano and Andy Farrington. The second day brought rain and thunderstorms. We finished the last rounds on the third day, and I gained enough points on the raft landing to move me into 2nd place overall. It was a great event, that would get great exposure in the magazines. Thank you Kamuran "Sonic" Bayrasli. Thanks to Jim "Punisher" Flaherty, for his generous hospitality. With six weeks left before the U.S. National Skydiving Championships in Perris Valley, CA, it was all about training. There was time for two more training camps with Elsinore GT, shooting backup video for other teams (Tye Breakers, Elsinore Fuse, and Arizona Blade), and a few days to do swoop training on the pond at Perris. Nationals! I was about to embark on an unforgetable 10-day journey. Two days training with Elsinore GT, then 2 more days of 4-way competition (10 rounds). When the dust settle Elsinore GT walked away with the Silver medal; My first Nationals medal. Next came two more days of swoop training on the pond. And then four very long days of swoop competition (Distance, Speed, Accuracy, Freestyle, and Team Speed). Only the top eight canopy pilots would get to represent the US Team at the next World Cup of Canopy Piloting. My goals and dreams were all on the line now. The Silver medal in Distance helped me clinch a 4th place victory overall and a spot on the US Team. In Team Speed, Clint Clawson and I finished 3rd with a Bronze medal. What an experience! And then came the phone call that would change everything. Jay Moledski from the Performance Designs Factory Team rang me up and gave me the news. I had just been selected to become the 6th member of the team. This was by far the single most significant skydiving accomplishment since my first jump in November 2000. All my dreams came true, and all my goals had been accomplished. "Dreams and dedication are a powerful combination." -- William Longgood 2004 was truly a year of successful accomplishments and long-lasting friendships. Having the opportunity to jump with the best 4-way team I have ever had the priveledge of shooting video, was the icing on the cake. Arizona Blade took first place at the NSL Championships in Florida, walking away with a 19.9 average. I am greatful for the personal time I got to spend with Thomas, Natasia, Mark, and Bob. It was my first time jumping in Florida and the people there made me feel so welcome. Thanks to Solly and Gary from Deland Majik, Pete Allum, and Nancy from Ouragan Suits. They are incredible people with lots of passion for the sport. "The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are first, hard work; second, stick-to-it-iveness; and third, common sense." -- Thomas Edison After a remarkable training camp in January, where the PD Factory Team did almost 100 jumps each, it was time to put our skills to the test at the 2nd World Cup of Canopy Piloting in Lake Wales, FL. The world class event took place over a 5 day period, exhausting everything we had emotional, mentally, and physically. 72 competitors came from 17 countries to compete for the title of World Champion of Canopy Piloting. In the end, I couldn't help but wonder... "How did it happen?" All eyes turned toward me and an applause came from the crowd as I walked up to the podium. A gold medal was hung around my neck. It was my first win at a major swoop event, and it was the World Cup. My team mates stood next to me reminding me just how real it all was. "It's real, man. It's real." Five days earlier I had taken 1st place in the Speed event, which was a huge confidence builder. I remembered what world class competitor, Dan BC, had said while coaching the girls team, Synchronicity, one day... "Throw the first punch. Play for blood."... and I did. On the second day of the competition, I set a World Record in the distance event, swooping over 479 feet, and had two perfect rounds in accuracy, scoring 100 points for each of them. After the distance semi-final round and the two remaining accuracy rounds it was all over. Somehow, I managed to maintain the lead and win the gold medal. I called my mother and father that afternoon. It was the first time in my life I had ever accomplished anything so great. I wanted them to know just how much I appreciated everything they'd done to give me the opportunity to fullfill my dreams. This victory was theirs as well. With the added pressure of being on top, I was worried about how I would stay ahead. The next meet was the PST Grand Prix in Perris Valley, CA. Could the results be repeatable? How could I get more out of my canopy? Should I increase my wing loading with more weight? When the meet started, I was calm, and confident in my skills, but many were waiting to capitalize on any mistake. And then again... somehow, someway... I managed to place first in the Speed event. The next day was the Distance event. In the first round, I broke my previous World Record with a distance of 494 feet. At the end of the day, when the results were posted... I took first in Distance, and Accuracy too. What an unexpected triple victory! To everyone's surprise, including my own, someone pushed the L.A. Times in front of me as I ate my breakfast. There it was... on the cover. An article about swooping. The sport that I was so passionate about was finally getting the recognition it deserved. L.A. Times: Swoopers Chute the Works I'm looking forward to the rest of 2005. It will be a year filled with education and experiences with the best team in swooping. The learning never ends. That's why I love skydiving so much. There's always a new challenge lurking around the next corner. For more news about Jonathan Tagle and the PD Factory Team, visit the link below... PD FACTORY TEAM