MrE Grasshopper
Hey Guys (MrE, Grasshopper), After this string of posts, it is interesting to see more about what you were involved in, especially MrE. It continues to surprise me that despite the posts of many people involved in this, people are still so loyal to TKF/Simon that they cannot see things in any other light. eg it must be something that person (and that person, and that person...) did which is why it all went bad. I guess I have seen this defense in too many things that I Have done to never give a leader this kind of trust. For instance with skydiving, people would back a certain school/dropzone regardless of its history. Dogtraining was the same, heck sports are totally alike as well. I guess it is the same loyaltly that allows/allowed guys like Bush, Hitler, Separtists in Quebec etc to do whatever they want and still have support. It just always surprises me how little supporters want to question those they admire. MrE, your point about the change in the number of studios: I take it that you did not know that? It is something that continually baffles me with this. As they were closing studios in Winnipeg, and everything that happened with Weber, yet Sparrow could not get June/Simons to change how they were dictating things. There seemed to be a philosophy from HO to deny that the ship was sinking. The Simon's did not even want the owners to respond to the network54 forum. I am not sure about the reasoning behind that, but I am sure that many many potential students avoided joining TKF because of that. With very little effort Simon could have had the continued loyalty of so many, continued to reap the licensing fees, and had a very worthy legacy. Vortexx, RD and CS can continue to delude themselves with the various things they are told and ignore how low the organization has fallen. I firmly believe that I was taught very useful techniques, but I do regret that it was done in the environment in which it was done. When I trained with Grasshopper, and earlier, it was always about training. That is the part I regretted the most. At some point it became extremely commercial: how much can we fleece from the students? I am sure that Simon's band will say that that was not them, that it was the owners. However, I feel that so much tied to this attitude is what stopped students from turning up at the studios. Grasshopper, I wonder what your take on that is with regards to the studios you were at. I am sure that the Simon supporters will further say: well if you were not there, then how would you know what really happened? Well, I only need to look at what was being sold: all kinds of black wolf stuff (I understand that that was a Simon company?) the CDs, the rocks from the temple lands (Vortexx, you are right, the rock was free, but it was strongly suggested that we should make a $100 donation to be able to advance further in our training if we wanted......and the rock was symbol of....). This would clearly not be what I was trying to sell if I owned a studio, it is quite obvious, and corroborated, that the Simons pushed this crap onto the owners. In the early days (for me) it was only about training, and I was always energized to come out and that is what I saw in so many others. This other merchandise and everything that comes with it seems to have really poisoned the atmosphere for so many.

I feel like Vortex with my multiple posts. For the record... I have taken away from TKF the things I enjoyed: Friends, Discipline, Fitness, Forms, Techniques And thrown away the things I hate. I have truely moved on. I try not to get involved in the discussions about which style is better/ worse because that is totally a subjective thing, I say go with what you enjoy/ works for you, even if it's Tae Bo. I am usually only compelled to post about this subject when people say things about past/present individuals related to TKF, whether good or bad, if I know from experience these statements are untrue or extremely biased. And though my opinions do swing away from Grand Master Simon more often than not, I generally try to take an objective view on these things...

RD

RD, This is just my uninformed opinion. I doubt Mr.E2Me2 would post himself visibly on line and lie through his teeth. If I were Mr.E2Me2 the last thing I would be worried about is proving anything to someone who is known on the net by only 2 initials.RD. I know way more about him then I do about you ,thanks to this site. Thats like me asking you to Let me know who you are, with documentation to prove it. Besides that, I have never been a part of TKF personally, and with the amount of politics and negativity that evolves around that organization it would not surprise me that they would deny the legitimate existance of one of there own. I have seen hatered evolve around the TKF legacy (on-line) for a long time. Mr E2Me2 is one of the few I have seen actually trying to put a positive spin on things. So why you or your cohorts would want to try and defame one of the few people trying to give your cause some half decent PR is beyond anything I can reason. Your whole angle seems absurd to me.RD. sifu shawn

Hello RD, You quoted me as saying, “You have never bought a franchise from Olaf and Doreen. So you didn’t know what happened when a purchase of this type was made. Therefore, your uninformed opinion is just that…uninformed (imo).” You stated, “In a subsequest post you insinuated (in a very round-about way) that you were an owner of a TKF franchise implying that you were somehow more informed than the rest of us. You also claimed to have documentation to prove it”. I was very precise in my claims. After all, I have had the courage of my convictions to post my face online. Here they are again: “I am the former President of Simon Kung Fu Studios Vancouver LTD (now bankrupt). I bought the limited company from L. Wayne Thomas. He bought it from Olaf and Doreen Simon. I have documentation to this effect. I was there when Trevor Higgs left SKS. I was there when Phillip McAndrews was named the heir apparent. I was there when Brian Leishman left for Calgary. I was there when Brian Leishman left SKS. A couple of years later I was there when the name was changed. It went from “Simon Kung Fu Studios” to “Temple Kung Fu”. As a matter of fact, I had a hand in changing it! (Consider the matter rectified.) I also said in my last post that I was talking of matters in the past . I heard from both Current Student and Vortexx. They have both said that the current administration at TKF does biz differently. I have no reason to discount that, and every reason to believe them. Now you can obfuscate about, as much as you want (concerning the past). (That is misdirect me and try to confuse me as much as you like.) But I was there when some of these things happened.” I have not insinuated anything. I am the former president of Simon Kung Fu Studios LTD (now bankrupt). And I most certainly do not have to explain myself to anyone. I will Not verify my past over the net to an anonymous stranger (that’s you, ace). And if Sifu Shawn had not risen to my defense, you’d be “Sure Out of Luck” (S.O.L.). But he has, and out of my respect for him, I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do. If he is agreeable, I’ll show my documentation to the administrator of this forum. He can verify that my past is documented as I have stated. (By the way, if he is not willing, regardless of reason, then you’re still S.O.L.) As for the rest of your post: I could just as easily say that I have not heard of the current owners either. And I notice that they are not at all hesitant about asserting themselves. (And that is an attitude I respect, by the way.) Yet, I’m not hearing from them, merely you. But I have had enough of your wild allegations. I find I have better things to do with my time. I have wasted all I care to on this response to your inflammatory post. As I posted when I first met you, “We can agree you are wrong.” Regards, MrE2Me2 Without prejudice E&OE

Hello Sifu Shawn, I am grateful for your defense and I am publicly acknowledging it. THANK YOU! Regards, MrE2Me2

Hey, MrE2Me2 and RD. I think I can see where the misunderstanding has come from. MrE2Me2, you posted that you bought the studio not directly from the Simons but from L. Wayne Thomas, who had already parted with Simon, while retaining the rights to the SKS name. So technically you were never part of GMS's franchise, and it's quite likely that GMS himself or the people RD talked to didn't know or remember about you. I personally have been following this forum from the very beginning and have no reason to doubt you whatsoever. I think perhaps RD misunderstood you to mean that you were an owner directly with Simon's franchise, which he knew wasn't the case.

Hello Vortexx, You posted, “I think I can see where the misunderstanding has come from…”. You could very well be right. And let me be the first to say: I am quite willing to put this misunderstanding behind me. Regards, MrE2Me2 Without prejudice E&OE

Hello Rainmann, You posted, “After this string of posts, it is interesting to see more about what you were involved in, especially MrE. . It continues to surprise me that despite the posts of many people involved in this, people are still so loyal to TKF/Simon that they cannot see things in any other light.” I had a long talk with a former heir apparent. I knew him when he was blindly loyal. I met him years after… You posted, “It just always surprises me how little supporters want to question those they admire.” Yeah! I hear that! I was once one of them. You posted, “MrE, your point about the change in the number of studios: I take it that you did not know that?” Actually, I did know that. None the less, to have it go down so far and so fast is shocking. Yet, to see the same story repeated era after era was disheartening to me too. You posted, “I firmly believe that I was taught very useful techniques,… it was always about training.” Yes, I agree with you there. The art is what I have concentrated on. I believe Mo will survive because there are enough of us to carry it on. (Regardless of political persuasion.) Regards, MrE2Me2 Without prejudice E&OE

RD

Mr.E2Me2 In regards to your defense. no problem sifu shawn

I'm still curious all this talk about Piercy being forced out, even with a personal guarantee how was he forced out? I remember hearing from several parties including Jones and Sparrow (who certainly were there) that he quit. I heard that from them first hand however the information is still third hand. If the best any of us have is third hand information how can we be sure which to believe as far as his reason for leaving? In my life there has never been a shortage of people trying to tell me what to do. Your guys are saying I'm blindly following yet all anyone is presenting here is hearsay and telling me I should take it as fact. And I don't care how big a mountain of hearsay you amass it's still does not make them facts. Just like a mountain of lies does not make a truth. I'm not saying you guys are lying just that you are trying to convince me without presenting any truths. I hope you can you see my point of view? I understand if you get frustrated trying to make a case without facts, but it's unfair to call myself RD and Vortexx mindless when you have done nothing to compile a compelling arguement. I'm sorry if I can't take you, grasshopper or MR E's say so. AFAIK Mr E has never met the man and he is voicing judgements against him based on what others have told him. <edit argh ...my spelling>