Few things could bring me to break my retirement from racing, however, I have found a reason to skate again. Only within the last few days has this matter coalesced into reality. Today it is time to let my friends know what is happening and why. Agree with my views or don’t. That is fine with me. I know we need all sides of the arguments, but ultimately, I stand with the growing masses that are taking to the streets.
Following is the press release that I have been sending out:
The Great Recess…
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Added by Danny Dannels on August 4, 2009 at 3:09pm —
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I wanted to let my friends and family know that I have decided to retire my skates. Setting the Dallas to Austin world record was my last hurrah. There will be no Trans-USA 2009. I am shutting down all of my skating activities in order to pursue duty for my country.
Hillary and I have been discussing it for quite some time, and, I feel good about the decision. I have heard the beating of a different drum calling me. I must answer to a higher calling that can not be ignored anymore. To do so wou…
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Added by Danny Dannels on April 20, 2009 at 5:32pm —
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These are the tweets from Twitter.com that I sent before and after the Dallas to Austin skate. There are a few other small corrections that have been made.
1. @Irishsong I will post the pictures of the Dallas to Austin skate to Inline Planet in my blogs. I will link them here when done.8:12 AM Apr 16th from web in reply to Irishsong
2. @GreyFeather3 Preparing the mind for Dallas to Austin skate. The body is a tool. The athlete is the mind that controls the tool.8:14 AM Apr 16th from web in rep…
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Added by Danny Dannels on April 20, 2009 at 3:46pm —
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There is a Twitter app on my profile page that will have my progress updates. Feel free to follow them throughout the day as I skate Dallas to Austin on 4-17-09.
I will begin 2:00 to 3:00 in the morning. It will be a rainy skate, so, I am not sure how long it will take. I am hoping for under 24 hours.
Wish me luck,
Danny
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Added by Danny Dannels on April 16, 2009 at 2:00pm —
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I have some exciting plans for the weekend of Texas Road Rash. I will be skating to Austin from Dallas/Ft Worth to set a new world record. It will be 160 miles of tough Texas roads to kick my own butt on. It should take around 24 hours, if my ankles hold up. I’ve previewed the roads on Google, and, I’m going to tape up before I start.
I will be leaving on Friday, April 17th from the Tarrant County Line. I will be skating to the Travis county line. This will allow me to avoid major population, i…
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Added by Danny Dannels on April 1, 2009 at 9:32pm —
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I received a package in the mail that I have been anticipating for some few weeks. Inside that box was a set of skates from Robert Ritondo and Bob Leger of Newron Sports.
Newron Sports has been courting me as a sponsor. They have had some intriguing offers. These have included everything from custom product to purchasing a media agent for me. Even a $10,000 bonus has been offered for breaking the Trans-USA record.
In the end, we agreed that it all hinged on the skates. So, when that box arrive…
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Added by Danny Dannels on March 19, 2009 at 9:00pm —
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The headache is gone. The shoulders are still sore, but, the hip is moving right. I’m going to go skating after the rain bands pass in a couple of days.
The bruising on my hip is almost gone. The following picture is from the day after the wreck.
That pict…
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Added by Danny Dannels on March 9, 2009 at 11:00am —
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Happy Birthday to me! I will be spending every minute of this day reminded of the wreck that I had yesterday after I skated the trail.
Lone Star Trail is a smooth expanse of concrete around 3 meters wide. It snakes up and down to the contour of the Elm Fork of the Trinity River Valley that it follows. The slow rise and fall coupled with the twists left and right give the trail a sense of adventure. Wildlife teems in the lush fauna that always accompanies the presence of water. Birds ranging fro…
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Added by Danny Dannels on February 27, 2009 at 10:30am —
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When is the right time to ask for help? For years, I have taught trainees to ask for help,
”before you get in trouble”. It saves the embarrassment of getting so far behind that your performance starts to suffer.
Asking for help can seem equivelent to failure in the eyes of a beginner. The sheer tragedy of admiting that a person cannot meet immediate needs can seem overwhelming.
More experienced hands know that asking for help just ensures a successful expedient outcome.
This week I rea…
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Added by Danny Dannels on February 26, 2009 at 9:33am —
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I have met a man that understands the visions that I get lost in now. There is yet another person that can relate to the endless hours of pain that joy that I endured. Bill McIntosh, skater, former pro hockey player, and, all around skating bad ass has entered the community here on Inline Planet.
He skated Trans-USA drafted in 42 days back in 1996. My solo undrafted time of 67 days shows the difference that drafting can make. He left a synopsis of his experience in my comments if anyone wants t…
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Added by Danny Dannels on February 22, 2009 at 3:34pm —
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I have been running for the last two weeks as part of my conditioning. I started at 5 km 3 times a week. This week I am at 8 km 3 times a week. Next week I will take it up to 10 km per run with a final long run of 15 km. Then I will go back down the pyramid in my running as my skating load increases.
I have focused on finding that comfortable spot in my run where I’m almost on auto-pilot. I like the loose almost dreamy place that I go to when I find my groove, although, I have learned over time…
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Added by Danny Dannels on February 13, 2009 at 10:59pm —
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This is a Zen parable that I learned long ago and have heard in various forms:
A young student arrived at the Temple, anxious to embark on the training that would lead him to enlightenment. Upon being introduced to the master, the student proclaimed, “I have just entered the monastery, ready to learn. Please teach me.”
The master asked him, “Have you eaten your breakfast?”
“Yes,” replied the student, “I just finished.”
“Then go wash your bowl,” replied the master.
This encounter speaks volu…
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Added by Danny Dannels on February 5, 2009 at 9:21pm —
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My mother-in-law attended her usual bible study last week. I often provide a sounding board for her to reason the lessons that she is taking in. This week she didn’t bring up a topic of scripture, she brought up me and the quest that I am on.
She touched on my most recent endeavors and how I was willing to risk the submission of a record. Her study leader was taken aback by that prospect. He couldn’t understand why anyone in the world would be willing to put that much effort into something only…
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Added by Danny Dannels on January 30, 2009 at 7:53pm —
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I just posted The Long Skate 5.2. It is the entirety of the State of Texas. Wholly a third of our trip was in our home state. It was an experience that would define my entire skate, and, shape my view of the state that we live in.
I found it hard to watch the second half of Texas. I watched the images of skating the roads that I know now would wear down my senses and cause me months of recovery. The images all at once seemed so intimate, and, so foreign. A deep psychological void seemed to exis…
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Added by Danny Dannels on January 29, 2009 at 8:06pm —
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I have had a week’s worth of sending emails around the world. It seems that I have found myself in the middle of a self-promotion campaign and double-guessing myself along the way. I’m not the kind of person that seeks the spotlight and it seems surreal to be on an ad campaign for myself.
I met Liz Miller this week. It really helps to have people believe in your dreams, especially when it’s someone who wrote the book on skating. Thank you goes to her, and, also to everyone that has voted so far…
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Added by Danny Dannels on January 27, 2009 at 2:17pm —
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I have been registering on all of the skating boards that I can, to talk about the quest that I am on, and, am opening myself up to criticism. I am responding to each and every comment to make myself available to these skaters. The flow of communication is what makes this possible. Without the backing of the skating community, I will go nowhere with this.
I spent some time last night talking to an aggressive skater on another board. He thought the concept was cool, but, he didn't think it repre…
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Added by Danny Dannels on January 24, 2009 at 9:34am —
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So, what do you do when you put a world record on the line. What steps do you take to ensure that your investment in time and money is being put to good use?
Well, to date, I have now sent emails to every news agency on the continent of Australia. I have also been working on the English Isles.
My beautiful wife is working on sending emails to every news agency that lies on the route that we covered in the Trans-USA 2008 journey.
I will be going back to finish England before moving to Canada.…
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Added by Danny Dannels on January 20, 2009 at 11:26am —
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For those that haven’t seen my most recent video, The Long Skate Episode Four, it is about the fate of my world record. I have refrained from submitting to use it as a tool to get the world to notice us. I am putting the fate of it to a vote for the world.
Why? It is to get more people to skate. I would rather walk away from something that took 3 months of my life and incurred major injuries to my body, just to get more people to skate. It is that important to me. It is a priority that I share…
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Added by Danny Dannels on January 19, 2009 at 8:24am —
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A very good friend of mine, Johnny Chen, and I have had many conversations on the meaning of “all of this”. He, a Buddhist, has an outlook on life similar, but, slightly different. We have reached a series of conclusions concerning the overall nature of our existence that closely parallel each others, although, we have reached them through different means.
Tonight, I battle with a concept that he and I have discussed at great length: We are more than the sum of our possessions. We are in fact t…
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Added by Danny Dannels on January 17, 2009 at 7:54pm —
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I spent a great bit of time thinking about the subject of drafting in relation to my Trans-USA skate last year. I skated 2555 miles pulling myself the across the continent 100% of the time. I’ve seen that distance from the front of the pack. It changed my life. That event gave me a different view of my life and what role I want to play in it. I’ve often said that “I” never came back from it.
I can now say that I have a vested interest in the subject, and, can make an informed decision based on…
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Added by Danny Dannels on January 15, 2009 at 10:55am —
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That pict… Continue
