Athletes

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Athletes

Delta Gear, Inc. sponsors skydivers, swimmers, cyclists, runners, 3-gun shooters, and MMA fighters. Multi-sport athletes are highly preferred, but those that excel in a specific sport are also encouraged to apply. Education is also taken into consideration, along with any physical adversity that you have overcome, and any previous military training will move you to the front of the line.

Please welcome Delta Gear's starting line-up...


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Jeff Smart

Jeff Smart is a well rounded war sport athlete and cinematographer. He is a skilled Wingsuit pilot, BASE jumper (#1498), competitive pistol shooter, and a Captain in the US Air Force trained in Combatives. Jeff currently has 6 years of service and one tour in the Middle East as a Combat Cameraman. He uses all those skills along with his eye for the moment for the benefit of his production company, Smart Choice Productions (SCP). He aims to use SCP to bring action sports to the average person. Jeff is from outside Boston MA, and is currently stationed at Montgomery, AL.

  • Nickname: Smarty
  • Motto: "What are you waiting for..."
  • Education: University of New Hampshire
  • Awards: Joint Commendation Award, Air Force Commendation, Air Air Force Achievement, National Defense Service Medal, GWOT Service Medal
  • Accomplishments: BASE #1498, Air Force Senior Combatives Instructor
  • Website: coming soon
  • Sponsorship Level: T1

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Taya Weiss

Taya Weiss is the first female wingsuit pilot to perform a sustained XRW ("eXtreme Relative Work") dock on a canopy pilot while in freefall (with Jessica Edgeington of the PD Factory Team, September 2010). Organized and participated in the US National Record for Largest Wingsuit Formation, 68 people (2009). First ever Team XRW Demonstration Jump, into the International Defense Expo Abu Dhabi (February 2011). Co-founder of Raise the Sky, a non-profit that links awesome airborne projects with charitable and humanitarian fundraising and action.

  • Nickname: Big T
  • Motto: "Carpe Diem, Memento Mori"
  • Education: Harvard College (Social Theory, magna cum laude) '99, Princeton University (Master of Public Affairs, International Relations) '08
  • Awards: Multiple wingsuit record holder
  • Accomplishments: Co-founder of Raise the Sky
  • Website: Raise the Sky, Taya Weiss
  • Sponsorship Level: T2

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Alex Cashman

Alex Cashman is a skydiving photographer and instructor from Albuquerque, New Mexico. With 5 years in the sport and approximately 2,000 jumps, he now resides in Santa Cruz, California, where he hones his skills as part of the DarkSide crew. As an avid canopy pilot and devoted freeflier, his love for skydiving has recently spilled into the realm of documentary film making, resulting in an extended stay in Southern Brazil in early 2011.

  • Nickname: Cashmanimal
  • Motto: "Photos, or it didn't happen."
  • Education: San Jose State (Graphic Design/Photography/Art History) '10
  • Awards: coming soon
  • Accomplishments: Published photographer/writer
  • Website: coming soon
  • Sponsorship Level: T2

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Lonnie Bissonnette

Lonnie Bissonnette is a father of 2 boys (ages 21 and 16), and the world's first paraplegic BASE jumper to jump all four BASE objects (Building, Antenna, Span, Earth). His first skydive was in 1990, and his first BASE jump was in '93. He was paralyzed in 2004 on my 1100th BASE jump. It took him almost a year to get back in the air. His first jump back was a skydive with his oldest son, which was also his son's very first jump at the age of 15. One month later Lonnie did his first BASE jump off an Antenna. Since then, he has gone back to jump off all four objects in BASE, and also made skydives with both sons. Lonnie's youngest did his first skydive in 2010, also at 15 years old. It was the proudest moment of his jumping career, to be in the airplane with both sons at the same time.

  • Nickname: Lonster
  • Motto: "Never give up!"
  • Education: Quit school at 15 years old, graduated with honors from "The School of Hard Knocks"
  • Awards: Para-Wingsuit #1, Para-BASE #1, Sub-Zero Naked BASE #1, BASE #422
  • Accomplishments: Several Provincial championships 4-way, Canadian National 4-way champion 95, Several Canadian big-way records, Competed in the first World championships of BASE in Malaysia 2001- Team Canada finished 5th overall, First paraplegic in the world to jump from all four objects in BASE. Designed, developed, and taught the first fully structured BASE course in Canada. I have over 1500 skydives, and more than 1100 BASE jumps.
  • Website: Lonnie Bissonnette, Canadian BASE Association
  • Sponsorship Level: T3

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Sponsorship

New athletes must show that they are willing to work while being easy to communicate with.

Sponsorship will entitle you to store discounts, allow you to demo equipment, and test prototypes. Sponsorships are divided in various tiers. New athletes will be awarded a Tier 1 (T1) sponsorship which qualifies them for a store discount. Once they have proven themselves, they will be moved up to T2 and this process will continue until they become a T5 athlete, where Delta Gear will do its best to cater to all your equipment needs.

If you are interested in becoming a sponsored athlete, please become a Delta Gear Member, join our Facebook page, and send your inquiry via email.