posted May 24th, 2005 - The summer weather pattern has already taken control over skydiving competition in Florida. The complete scoreboard of the past weekend shows that 67 of the currently listed 77 teams completed six rounds. Six of the ten teams with a lower number of rounds competed at the third 2005 meet of the Florida Skydiving League.

The Saturday morning in DeLand offered the usual blue skies. However, the clouds began building up in the later morning, and a summer storm was finally ready to hit the event area when the fifth round of the competition was almost completed. Teams and competitors waited for the storm cell to hit and run, but the skies did not clear early enough to allow the completion of the 6-round meet.

The total of six teams competed in three different classes. The first three rounds were done from a Twinotter, round four and two loads of round five had Skydive DeLand's Skyvan lifting the teams to altitude. The FSL teams and competitors on site had agreed to support the host by using the Skyvan when it was available. Skydive DeLand's Twinotter was recently damaged in a mid-air collision that tragically killed camera veteran Gus Wing. The Twinotter was not ready to get back in the air last weekend.

The AAA Class competition featured an internal race between two line-ups of Teiwa-Z-Hills. The group of mostly experienced former and current competitors, which meet each month to have 4-way fun at the FSL meets, grew once again by four new members last weekend.

Teiwaz was founded by the former 4NB members Mary Inhoffer and Pamela Geoffrey in 1999. Mark Stose and Kurt Gaebel were added to the line-up, and the team trained and competed in 1999 and 2000. Teiwaz won the USPA Championship 2000 in the Advanced Class in Perris and continued to train and compete in 2001.

The Teiwaz efforts slowed down when all team members built or grew bigger with their families. Pamela Geoffrey got married to former Nemesis member Jim Goempel, and soon they had a daughter Jessica. Mary Inhoffer and Mark Stose got married and enjoy family life with little Mary. Kurt Gaebel was already married and father of Erika when Teiwaz was formed. He added Annica and little Kurt to the original Teiwaz family.

Team Teiwaz survived the phase of family building by adjusting the team philosophy to the circumstances. There were hardly any training efforts any longer, and the team members met once in a while on a private level. However, the team also continued to attend most of the competitions of the Florida Skydiving League and even competed at several USPA and NSL championships. The secret of the Teiwaz continuity was a flexible line-up.

Year by year and meet by meet, new members were added to the Teiwaz line-up, which has come to a total number of currently 23 members. Invitations to the whole Teiwaz family go out on a regular basis prior to each FSL competition, and the members can sign up for the next meet or make reservations for other competitions.

Last weekend's competition in DeLand was the first time in Teiwaz history that two complete line-ups were ready to have 4-way fun. Four Teiwaz regulars and four very new members formed Teiwa-Z-Hills Pink and Teiwa-Z-Hills Purple.

Teiwa-Z-Hills Pink consisted of Natasha Montgomery (Point), Jennifer (Center Outside) and Glen Hauenstein (Center Inside) and Kurt Gaebel (Tail). DeLand Fire member Montgomery was in DeLand, while her own team was not complete, and she decided to join Teiwaz for last weekend's competition in her new home town.

Jennifer and Glen Hauenstein used to be Mr. Pink members when Kurt Gaebel was the team's coach for a few years. Mr. Pink has taken a 2-year break, and the Hauensteins visited from Georgia to attend the first 4-way competition after a very long time of absence from GSL, FSL and NSL events.

Teiwa-Z-Hills Purple had Barbara Kobzik (Center Inside), Bob Byrne (Center Outside), Robert Chromy (Tail) and Jim Walker (Point) in the line-up. Walker, an experienced competitor of the Texas Skydiving League visited from Texas to make his first Teiwaz appearance. He had already attended the FSL Shamrock Showdown 2005 with Joey Jones and the Glitter Pimps. Kobzik, Byrne and Chromy had already competed with Teiwaz at several earlier FSL and NSL meets. Chromy has been the FSL Head Coach for the events of the 2005 season at the same time. Jay Kaplan flew the video slot for Pink and Purple.

Both line-ups were put together so evenly that the internal Teiwaz competition was close and exciting. Teiwa-Z-Hills Pink and Purple were tied after three rounds, and Pink created a 3-point lead in the faster round four. The bad weather after round four saved the Pink line-up the effort of defending the lead, and Purple had to buy the beer.

The Teiwaz family meeting last weekend also included a Friday afternoon 40-minute session at SkyVenture Orlando. Only Montgomery, Kobzik, Chromy, Byrne and Gaebel were available for the tunnel training. However, another local Teiwaz member, Ron Hill, joined the flying session for the fun of it.

The social part completed the Teiwa-Z-Hills weekend with a party for all members on Saturday evening at the Gaebel home in DeLand. The six/twelve Teiwaz May jumps were great fun for all members, and the Pink line-up enjoyed the feedback and company of DeLand Fire's world class competitor Natasha Montgomery.

The Teiwaz plans for the next FSL June meet are already in the works, and applications for new memberships are still always welcome. The first line-up for the June competition on Teiwaz' 2005 home turf, Skydive City in Zephyrhills, is already complete and includes another new member. Pamela Manos is ready to follow the path of her husband Guy Manos who was a 4-way world champion with the DeLand Air Bears in 1985. Teiwaz cannot offer the jump board to a world championship title, however, Teiwaz can guarantee a lot of 4-way fun...