Your Tom Kaye Stories...

[sillypookie]

Old School TK memory

I have two memories of Tom that made me a mag convert:

1) I was one of the 200 people at the joint AGD/WGP tech conference in Crystal City, VA in 1998. I always remember the quality and dedication Tom showed to his product during the course of that weekend. Sitting around until 2-3 a.m. with us in the conference room afterwards discussing ROF and accuracy... this was right after the RT was released. Incidentally we also got the first look at the z-grip taht weekend. I actually was at his lunch table with Forrest Hatcher (PTP) and he told me the most controversial thing I'd ever heard in paintball... and it is funny considering all the ROF arguments on today. Tom told me that the auto-response trigger was the MOST ACCURATE makrer he ahd ever fired... he told me that he believed that the higher the ROF, the more accurate the marker based on equalizing pressures of having 2+ balls in the barrel at once. My AGD tech certification certificates are still hung with pride in my workshop.

2) Before Skyball 2001 I was going through a bit of a job crisis, and was considering moving back to the states and taking a different career track... I noticed a job posting on the AGD website and e-mailed Tom my resume. In spite of me having no appreciable experience in the industry, Tom set up an interview with me and Dave Zupan at Skyball. I was playing and I missed 2 games due to the interview, but I had one of the most fascinating interviews and conversations of my life. I was ultimately offered the job, but was forced to turn it down. I'm still kicking myself.

Just thought I'd share since everyone else is :)

Good Luck Tom... I hung my Angel up because of you, and I'm never going back.

[beam]

Remember when Tom headed out west for vacation, and he had a contest for AO members to flag him down on the interstate?

I had considered driving 1.5 north to I-90 just to give it a shot.

It was fun stuff like that and the AO parties and the tech talks/threads that I'll miss.

[quik]

One time I was in AO chat, and he came in, de-voiced me, and proceeded to talk about some kind of topic about paintball.

It was enlightening.

[CaliMagFan]

I met TK at ao norcal vs socal.... i guess i now know what it was like for Jesus's disciples.... er something like that... lol.... He's a great guy.... showed off the upcomming tac-one, talked to me for a bit about paintball in general and his history and then posed for a picture with me..... it my favorite picture from teh AO meet...

thanks TK... you are one of the main reasons that i went from a kid that plated paintball to a paintballer that loves the game...

-kyle r....kyro

[Potatoboy]

I first met tom at the first SCAO event. We pulled into the hotel late that night, and Tom was in the Business Station in the locked hotel lobby.

Datapimp and I got his attention and he introduced himself. and was pretty suprised that I wasn't in fact, a boy.

On a related note, he was also the next day quite suprised personman, wasn't a man.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

he gave me a ride home :)
i feel so honored

[minimagjim]

The first time I met Tom was at the Bad Boyz Toyz Pig Roast after the 1st Shatnerball. I went down to Lansing, IL and took part in the uber sales and saw someone that I thought was Tom Kaye. Never seeing a great picture of the guy I wasnt sure but after I snooped around enough I realized it had to be him. What was great though was he noticed me kinda lurking and invited me over to a group that was just forming and had me help him out with the donuts from his truck. We brought them back, ate donuts and shared stories with the others there. Along with that Tom had brought the Shatner Xmag and it was the first time I had seen an X-mag up close or for that matter at all. This was super cool, sitting and talking to a legend and all around cool guy eating donuts and playing with the Xmag. Good times...

Another great time was when we had AO-IL day over at CCP. When Tom and the gang from AGD came down. That was fun. One thing that I thought was hillarious was that one game I played on Tom's team and when the game started we both were running to a bunker and trying to fire both of us got shot out, turns out I had my safety on and so did he. So I felt better when I realized this that even the Great Ones make mistakes like that.

The last one I have to share was at Shatnerball 3. The guarding of the tank that Tom was in. My friend and I were walking up and were looking for something to do when he called us out and said we were gonna protect his tank. So we did it. And Tom ended up winning that mission. Although it was a team effort I like to think that i played a good meat shield. After that the last battle was tremedously fun. Tom rallying us to that huge charge at the end and him rushing up to take the flag.

These stories will never be forgotten and will never be silenced. I love telling all my non-paintball buddies them over and over.

[SuiciDal Sn Y p ER]

that was a great memory jim :)

[purplemag]

Played in a big game with Tom down here in Charleston, SC last year. What a treat to meet the maker of so many great products!
I think he taught me one of the most common sense strategies for a big game I still use to this day.
The everyone stop firing, count to three and then everyone concentrate all their firepower strategy. Man it works every single time, and people always ask how did you know when and how to get us to do that??? I say, two words...Tom Kaye!

[Miscue]

The first time I had personal contact with Tom was over the phone. It was a conference call with TK, RobAGD, BlackVCG, and me. I forgot what it was about, but I do remember that I was thinking: "Whoa, this is Tom Kaye!" I was afraid to talk, I dunno why. He's like... a celebrity or something. I remember when the EMag was unveiled and they had that countdown on the webpage, and TK was going to be in a chat room. I left work early that day just so I can see what he had to say.

The first time I met him was at an LA NPPL tournament in 2001 I believe. The donuts were on the table, I sat in the group - nobody knew who I was, and I didn't know anybody. Later on we matched each other up by screen name. A group of us went to Marie Callendars and TK bought dinner. It might be somewhat surprising, but I haven't had much of a conversation with him outside of AO - except for when I was going over software with him at the SoCal vs NorCal game. I was always busy doing something else at events, or vice-versa. Oh, and he let me interview him about the first Shatner game because I was working on a PR project for school.

This guy can talk forever once he gets started! But it's always interesting.

[RoadDawg]

First time I met TK was at the same SC Village event that Gibby spoke about. I remember being awe struck at how the owner of a company would take the time to break down a mag and show us the quick fixes etc, and introduce us to the creators of the Angel, Bill Mills, the Oddessey guy and Budd Orr. The donuts were flowing like water and it was good fun. It also was the first time I bought something from RogueFactor (whole other outstanding story).

2nd time was AO Nor/SoCal game. Used my allen wrench to adjust the velocity on the Tac-one. Also caught a few pictures at the end with him. Extremely nice and handled my Warped ULE Emag and complemented me on the nice work of putting it together. I did manage to miss the tape run but it's on my picture cd.

[KayleAGD]

Boy , this could take a while......

The first real dealings with AGD was the second year they were in nashville at the
masters tournament.
Having bought my mag earlier that year and having so many problems and finding solutions with help from their tech department I show up at heir booth.
That is when i introduced myself to Joann who then passed me to John Dale. I showed him some of the things that had improved my gun. He said come behind the table and step into the motor home. I said sure There was tom chillin in the AC. We set and talked about the way the gun functioned and the idea's that I tried.
From that day on I stayed in touch weekly getting strange packages in the mail with a note only saying "try this". The next masters I was on the other side of the table and that is where I have stayed ever after.

Always an AGD loyal servant

Kayle Malcom

[the123]

The year is 2001, the location, IAO. This was the first Donut Orgy I can remember. A small group of AOers sat behind the the tent and ate donuts and drank pop. I can not remember what we talked about, but it was the first time that I realized the Tom was a very approchable person.

This was the first time I met Tom. A member of AO for a whole 2 months since I stepped up from an RT to an E-Mag. While we were sitting back behind the tent, i turned on my video camera, and I still have the tape around here somewhere. I never put it up anywhere because while the camera was on it was sitting in my lap and i wasn't paying attention where it was pointing... when I played it back, I realized that i was pointing it at Toms crotch for several minutes (as I was sitting directly across from him). I will never forget that day.. I met Tom, Bud Orr, Bill Mills, Glen Palmer and the owner of PBgear.com all within a few hours. We talked about the new modular bodies that had just been released at the Toulouse tournament weeks prior. Tom had a body he was passing around for us to examine and was asking us what WE thought of it and if we thought it was the future. From that day on, I was never more engrossed with the sport and haven't looked back yet.
So many fun times after that has only made things sweeter. The Super Tour, WLIPP, another IAO where I helped the tradeshow booth, industry gossip at the Sheraton, prototype ACE+LX testing at Country Club, being the first to get LX installed before the 02' Chicago open, Shatnerballs 1 and 3, World Cup where AGD sponsored the team I was on (Swarm), and more.. so many memories I will NEVER forget. Tom please don't fall off the radar anytime soon. Paintball just wont be the same.

[Muzikman]

Brian, I would love a copy of the video. Not even for the video side, but even the audio would be great. There has been so many conversations and stories, I can't remember them all. I should have carried my MD recorder around.

[FromTheBack]

Well my first and only time meeting Tom was at the most recent AO-SE day down in Dalton GA. After driving 9 hours and getting *some* sleep, me and phantomhitman woke up the next day for the scenario game. At the begining of the day there was a presentation with Tom in it and I kept thinking to myself, man that would be awesome if I could get to play on the field with him. Well as it would happen while us AO'rs were setting up our gear Tom just walks up and acts so laid back about it meanwhile I am like freaking out because TK is right next to me. I soon learned the definition of "AO Army" as we all marched down onto the field with Tom, fighting alongside him and conquering wherever we went when AO'rs were together. I think the highlight of the day was when we were walking through a mine field and being pinned down by a group behind an enbankment ahead of us and he said "Form a line and spead out, I'll count down to 10 and on 10 everyone fire and keep shooting for 10 seconds." It was really impressive to hear how loud and intimidating about 25 paintball guns in a row sounded followed by a charge afterwards which Tom lead with a terrifying scream in which all the enemies fled from. After the day I was even more suprised when he just hung out with us at the hotel where I taught him how to play Halo2 and listened to just an amazing conversation of the paintball industry. It really was a great time and I'm glad I got to meet the man behind the company!!