DODOlogic’s Defrost 2k17 by Odd Man Out Performance: What happened?

Rolling into Regina before Defrost 2017, I only had a few things on my mind:

1. See old friends at the yearly event.
2. Take some pictures.
3. Try not to come back home looking like a lobster.

As I left the meet, I had much different thoughts going through my mind – like “What has happened to our community?”

The event started like any other. Cars rolled in, parked and people met up with old and new friends. But somewhere along the way, the notion that starting cars up and bouncing off the rev limiters seemed like a great idea. And like a virus, this notion quickly took hold and spread across the event. Some were short and didn’t sound awful, but others were obnoxious, sounded like garbage and just would not cease. Eventually, the noise died down and I went back to enjoying the cars.

Luckily, some of the cars that attended were good enough to help me forget about the chaos from before. Race cars, drift cars, stance cars, JDM cars, European cars, you name it – they were all there. Having a diverse range of styles and types of vehicles at the event is what DODOlogic is all about.

By late afternoon, it looked like most people had been through the rows of cars a few times and were getting ready to head out. At this point, you’re probably reading this and asking yourself, “Why would I care when people were beginning to leave?” Well, because of the antics that followed.

For those who were not there or not familiar with the event location, one of the exits is an intersection onto a winding side road which leads to a main street. At some point during the exodus, people decided to start announcing their presence as they were leaving. Because we all need attention whenever we’re doing anything, right?

When I am speaking about getting attention, I’m not talking about waving or a quick blip of the throttle. I’m talking about launching cars onto the side road, full-blown burnouts, and bouncing off the rev limiter again. Don’t get me wrong – as an enthusiast, I enjoy all of those things. But there is a time and a place to do such things, and exiting an event is neither the time nor the place.

 

After Defrost, local social media blew up with people condemning these antics. Others said it was all in good jest, so it was acceptable. What some people may not realize is that we rent the space in which the event is held. If the owners get complaints or negative feedback, we could potentially lose the location. And if that were to happen, I don’t know what would happen to Defrost – or other events like Fallout – in the future.

You may agree or disagree with the antics, but I, for one, do not know why this has become acceptable behaviour for events. My only impression would be the culture we see on the internet is being mistaken for the norm nowadays, when in fact, what we see on social media is more along the lines of shaming people publicly for their antics. Friends of mine attended a large event in Alberta around the same time and didn’t witness anything remotely close to what occurred at Defrost.

Overall though, the event was a success. Over 500 cars attended and we had some great sponsors, partners, and food. We’d like to give a big shout-out to Odd Man Out Performance, Prairie Street Performance, Exceed Automotive Specialties, Redline Society, Mercenary Auto Care, Unleashed Auto Care and Mr. Spudd’s Poutinerie. Thank you to everyone who came out to support the event and the automotive community!