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, in an effort to arrive as safely as possible.

My wife and mother-in-law will be driving support for me. I can’t say enough about getting that support. It’s vital to have people that believe in you help you accomplish your goals.

This will be a rain or shine event for me. Lightning will force delays, if it is present. I’m not afraid of water, but, millions of volts of electricity are another story.

I am hoping to tweet updates on my twitter account under the user d_dannels. It will give me more options to update followers of my hourly progress.

I will be skating south, into the perpetual headwind coming off of the Gulf of Mexico. A faster run can be made coming north, but, that doesn’t fit into my plans. What does fit, is someone breaking the record by skating from Austin. Hopefully, someone will try to set a faster record when I am done. Perhaps Mr. Brian Shicoff would be interested in him, or, one of his Austin skaters setting a faster run.

Two weeks until I set off to the races in Austin. I can’t wait to skate.
 

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 arrived, I was excited to say the least.

I had emailed both the President and Marketing VP regarding my needs for a touring skate for Trans-USA application, and, I was sure that the 90mm touring skates on the front page of www.newronsport.com were the ones that Robert Ritondo spoke of sending me in our phone conversations. I requested that touring skate.

I have since been informed in an email that the picture is of a prototype that is not actually for sale. I must admit that a great big red flag went up when I received that email. I have since found that the hockey skates on the front page are not the ones that were sent either. I can only assume that they are also not for sale.

I decided to keep an open mind and wait for the product to show, before I jumped to judgment.

My initial disappointment when I looked inside was that I was sent a pair of hockey skates. Instead of sending me the touring skate, the Touron, they sent me the hockey skate, the Trainon.

I immediately had more concerns. My greatest concern was that the company was not listening to its client, and, sent whatever product it wanted. The flip side of that would be a case of incompetence, and, not sending the product requested. A further concern was whether or not the Touron product even existed. I had many scenarios going through my mind. I was already glad that I had not signed any agreements with that company.

I chose to keep to my end of the initial bargaining, and, try the product. A fair review was in order, so, I took them to the trail.

A waxed lace is in need for these skates, instead of the loose knit nylon ones included. I initially had trouble getting the skate tight enough to support my weight without collapsing to either side. When I was able to successfully tighten them for use, hot spots sprung up on my ankles and shins.

The Trainon has no forward ankle flex. It is a rigid boot. The result is a limitation of movement. I bend my knees and ankles when I skate, so, I was a very unhappy skater with these skates forcing me into a fixed position.

The frame on the right skate didn’t feel to be in the correct position. The leading end of the skate feels to be just to the right of the sweet spot. The result was my toe collapsing on every push. This was not a result of the front frame flexing, but, actually being in the wrong position. This same issue was not present in the left skate. The frame position is not adjustable, or, I would have fixed that problem.

The brakes work, sometimes too well. I found them engaging as I skated slow left hand turns. They are effective at slow speed, albeit I was only able to skate at slow speed with these skates on. I am unsure how they would work at high speed, since I was not only unable to skate fast with them on, I was afraid to go very fast.

The bottom laces had come loose, and, the boot started shifting back and forth, so, I stopped to tighten them up. I cinched them as tight as I could, and, I did another short skate in them. This time they were so uncomfortable that I took them off.

Then I went for a skate on my Bont Vaypors. I love to fly in those skates. I skated hard, fast and free for about 10 miles. It felt so good to go let loose and push for some speed.

When I was done with that I decided to give the Trainon one more shot. Perhaps I would see them differently after a second attempt.

This time I got the skate laced tight the first time. The laces seemed to strain under the pressure required to firm up the skate. I did a short distance before I stopped in pain from the way the skate bit into my shins and ankles.

I decided that maybe it was just that I laced them up too high. I took the top two eyelets out of the equation and tightened it all up. I tried unsuccessfully to skate in those skates half laced.

Not lacing the upper laces is a technique that I have used many times in recreational and hockey skates to great success. It mimics the feel of speed skates and allows the ankle to bend. These skates are not stable without all eyelets laced. The boot does not have enough rigidity in the correct locations to support that arrangement.

I also noticed a drag that could have been the break engaging, or the Abec-7 bearings. Honestly, I’ve never seen Abec-7’s with pressed in shields. I have only seen the Chinese 3’s without removable shields, but, that is what was written on irremovable shields.

I finally took them off with a profound disappointment. I’ve never felt that way after wearing a set of skates. I have since put them back in the box, and, taken them to the post office for return to Newron Sports.

It cost me $20 dollars to mail them back. I feel jipped. I wish I still had those 20 bucks.

Many projects are now under way. I just finished the second video and it is being posted shortly. I am networking with as many people as possible to make this next dream a reality. Kathy MacSparran and Gene Cook have gone out of their way to help me realize some of my goals. Their help has been invaluable.

 

Case in point: I am now going to go to The Great Eskate at the benevolence of Gene Cook.

 

I never expected to be sponsored to go to a skating event. It is yet another dream that has been realized for me.

 

It's the love of skating. It has to be. I can't figure out any other reason why people that I view to be my heroes in this sport would go out of their way to help me succeed in this endeavor.

 

I in turn will be filming while I am there for that week's video. I hope to see as many of you there as can make it. Come find me. I'll be the one in the bright red and yellow skin suit with the camera. You can't miss this uniform.  

 

(happy dance)

I would like to thank my wife for being my best friend. She listens to me and doesn't judge (out loud at least). She helps me to be better that I am. I am a lucky person to have her in my life. I am even luckier that she is carrying my child. I couldn't have done half of the things that I have without her (my record with her speaks for itself).

Thank you for being my friend.

Love, your husband.

The following is the press release that I am posting to the forums. I hope that it gets you as excited as we are. If it does, share the video with your friends. Together we can get the country skating.

 

Trans-USA skater Danny Dannels is up to something new.

 

Some of you will remember my record breaking Trans-USA skate in early 2008. The skating community came together to show unprecedented support as I struggled to find a path and make it across the country. It was a journey of staggering difficulty and immeasurable rewards.

 

I am now announcing my next attempt to break the Guinness Trans-USA record on skates. We are aiming for early August 2009.

 

This time there is a twist.

 

I am producing a reality show for the world to watch as I prepare. It will be available on the web for the world to see. There is a lot to watch for as I train, seek out sponsors, produce skating videos, and, prepare for our baby that is due in June.

 

There are innumerable challenges that I will be faced with. There is also a very important goal on this attempt.

 

I want to get the country skating again. It seems like a lofty goal for one person, but, I won't be alone. There are countless skaters out there that want the same goal. Together we can achieve something that I alone cannot. We can spread the love of skating.

 

I also have a new edge: the current economic climate that we live in. People across the country have changed their spending habits. We are spending less, but, that doesn't mean that we are doing less. We are all just finding cheaper ways to entertain. Skating is perfect for this.

 

Skating is a low cost and wholesome form of entertainment that is perfect for families. It's a great way to get healthy, stay fit, and all skaters need is an empty side walk or street to spend hours having fun. Living a healthy skating lifestyle is a great way to raise self esteem, but, all of you already know that.

 

We skaters belong to a warm and giving community that welcome new, seasoned, young, and old to its ranks. We have never given up. We have kept skating.

 

So, I endeavor to do this for you, the skaters of America and the world. I give this freely for the love of skating alone.

 

These concepts are of such great importance to me that I have also chosen to give my new book, The Long Skate, free to anyone that wants to read it. It is my gift to you. It is my gift to skating.

 

The book is here:

http://www.keepandshare.com/doc/view.php?id=989010&da=y

 

Video blogs are here:

http://www.youtube.com/user/DanDannels

 

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=49180746

 

Written blogs will now be available in two places:

 

www.myspace.com/13742576

 

www.dannydannels.blogspot.com

 

This is a very exciting time for us as we are inviting the world into our lives. Please stay tuned as I attempt to conquer the mountain of challenges in front of me.

 

Together we can get America skating.

 

Yours truly,

Danny Dannels

"I love to skate. I'm a skater. It's what I do."

.

 

Well, this is what I am up to. I need a production company and a book agent, so, contact me if you are interested. The proposal is being posted as a form of copy write. These ideas are my own and are based on my life. I have some exciting plans and hope to share them with the world in the very near future. I have spent six months rehabbing to strengthen my ankle and get ready for the next record attempt. I have been on a hard road that I promise to make even harder for myself as the next year progresses.

 

I present to you the continuing true story of my own life and the adventures that I am having as I travel all over the country meeting skaters, competing, and breaking records.  It is a unique multimedia opportunity as there are thousands of pictures, hundreds of hours of video, a web page, and, a blog already in existence. I have recently completed a book and it is also ready for representation. Unique team uniform designs offer another merchandisable avenue as product licensing provides even more opportunities.

 

The following are a group of products that enable me to be a marketable asset for you. It is not an all-inclusive list. The completed book is presented first as a valuable reference to the following proposals.

 

TITLE: The Long Skate

GENRE: Autobiography

SIMILAR: Into the Wild, Dreams of My Father, Chalked Up

LENGTH: 40000 words approximately

 

THE LONG SKATE is the true story of me, Danny Dannels, as I set out to beat the Trans-USA world record on skates. With newlywed wife in tow I battled deteriorating roads, inclement weather, debilitating injuries and my own tortured mind on a pain clouded journey of awareness and self-discovery.

On January 1, 2008 at 9:00 am, I left Solana Beach, California, and, over the next 67 days 10 hours and 45 minutes I tested my will to survive as I covered 2555 continuous miles across the United States to Atlantic Beach, Florida. I maintained a Myspace blog for the skating community to follow as I encountered brutal mountains and unforgiving deserts before I reached the wind swept plains. Years of recapitulated memories would haunt me as I found my own place in the world of men. An excruciating ankle injury only served to slow me down with 1000 miles left to go, only then to find prejudice and hate as I crossed through East Texas and Northern Louisiana. Losing our car with 500 miles to go showed us the fruits of our convictions as our friends and family came to aid us in our quest. Breaking my wrist with 120 miles to go served as a true test of my will to continue as I found the hidden strength in me to face the final obstacle in Jacksonville, the Main Street Bridge.

THE LONG SKATE is written around the public blogs that I kept for the skating community and taps into the feel good nature of a common man rising above his weakness and conquering challenges. It also features a love story entwined in its pages as the quiet strength of my wife shines through the entire book. It will also contain the maps that were posted for public viewing as well as many of the thousands of available pictures.

 

TITLE: The Long Skate

GENRE: Sports/Motivational/Travel

SIMILAR: The Man Who Cycled The World

FORMAT: Documentary HD 60 minutes   

RATING: G

 

THE LONG SKATE is based on my next attempt to break the Trans-USA World Record on skates. In studio interviews will be conducted beforehand to showcase my preparations and after to get my outtake on the experience. Existing media provide powerful flashback tools to provide a frame of reference for the viewer to relate to the pains and joys that I have already undergone on the original attempt. The reality of skating road shoulders, construction, and dirt while the mechanizations of the world continue to fly past offer an insight to the viewer of the realities of this ultra-endurance attempt at a new record. Ragged breath, screaming wind, wind buffeting semis, and the awe inspiring sounds of nature provide a powerful backdrop to the HD medium that would be the only choice to film the majestic landscapes of the USA that serve as the backdrop for an epic test of the will to propel myself across the country under physical power alone. Majestic mountains, stark deserts, wide plains, rolling hills, lush forests, will be represented on a quest from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean.

The knowledge learned from my first attempt ensures that this attempt will be up to twice as fast as the original attempt was, however, an established course and lessons learned do not lessen the physical torment of skating 2555 miles. Estimated timeline is 4-6 weeks for completion of the skating portion.   This product also provides further opportunities to promote the book, and related product line.

We are already vested in this project with the original attempt coming in on a shoestring budget of $10,000 plus loads of sweat equity. We slept in the car 90% of the time and performed all production tasks ourselves. Well prepared crew members will allow for dispersion of responsibilities allowing me to focus on skating and setting a new record.

 

TITLE: Skate America

GENRE: Sports/Motivational/Travel

SIMILAR: Storm Chasers, How It's Made, Have Fork Will Travel, Dirty Jobs

FORMAT: Series HD 30 minutes

RATING: G

 

SKATE AMERICA is a weekly show concept that centers on me as I travel the nation in a search to uncover the roots of skating in America. It would be built around a variety of segments spanning from interview to instructional that would include:

• Various types of competitions (indoor, outdoor, ice, quad, dance, slalom, etc.)
• Feature new products and tour skate product factories
• Technique focus in the Coach's Corner
• People in the different sports and their teams
• Places to skate when you are out and about
• My own record attempt and upcoming attempt
• The use of promos and workshops to reach out to viewers
• Eventual expansion to the international scene and skaters

TITLE: Skate Fit!

GENRE: Workout and instructional series

SIMILAR: Denise Austin, Gilad, Sharon Mann

FORMAT: Video and audio pod casts

RATING: G

 

SKATE FIT! is an opportunity to provide instructional teaching for skating. SKATE AMERICA is supplemented with SKATE FIT! pod casts. Video pod casts provide an exciting way to bring the media along for the skate and provide visual references for technique learning and reinforcement. Audio pod casts tied with music offer instruction and inspirational messages on a hugely popular and effective advertisement medium. This product can be tailored to fit the many different styles of skating to promote its use across the spectrum of skaters. Advertising and product placement contribute to the financial success of the product.

 

TITLE: The Florida Challenge

GENRE: Reality Documentary

SIMILAR: The Amazing Race, The Iditarod

FORMAT: HD 60 minutes

RATING: G

 

THE FLORIDA CHALLENGE is an invitational race across Florida using the dedicated bike lane on US-90 in a 394 mile contest. 20 contestants, 4 teams of 5 persons, 3 men and 2 women each, push each other to the limits to as even stopping to sleep becomes a liability in a race from the Florida state line near Pensacola to Atlantic Beach on the Atlantic Ocean. Personal interviews will give more intimacy with the contestant for the viewer allowing people to root for all teams to finish safely. Only lightning will force all contestants to stop forward progress as racing in the rain is already a feature of outdoor competitions. The winners will be the first team to finish by crossing the line with their skates on leaving room for injured team mates to crawl or be carried if they are unable to finish due to injury. A nominal prize package for the winning team can be awarded including products from featured companies.  Actual race time will be an estimated 2-3 days, weather permitting. Production turnaround should be 2-4 weeks as an estimation only.

TITLE: The 24 Hour Challenge

GENRE: Reality Documentary

SIMILAR: The Amazing Race, The Iditarod

FORMAT: HD 60 Minutes

RATING: G

 

THE 24 HOUR CHALLENGE pits the world's elite skaters against each other in a bid to break the 24 hour world record in a truly international event. Backgrounds of the participants and record history add to the mix as the physical torture that the competitors put themselves through becomes more apparent with each passing hour. The competition would adhere to USA Rollersports and FIRS guidelines. It will feature a certified course and judges to ensure accurate distances. A nominal prize package can be awarded including products from featured companies. 

The skating concept is benefited by the current economic climate that we live in as families are restructuring their entertainment budgets. Skating is a low cost and wholesome form of entertainment. It's family oriented and all skaters need is an empty side walk or street to spend hours having fun, plus, it's a great way to get healthy and stay fit. Living a healthy skating lifestyle is a great way to raise self esteems through physical exercise. Skaters belong to a warm and giving community that welcome new, seasoned, young, and old to its ranks. It is an international opportunity as inline racing holds huge attendances world wide and even most members of the US Olympic Speed Skating Team come from inline racing.

 

I started racing in 2005 after years of skate commuting. I won the North American Inline Marathon Series Advanced Division in 2006. I raced my first official pro race on 2007, at the bequest of my coach, before going on to become a sponsored skater and beat a world record in 2008. It has been an exciting couple of years as I have realized goals that I once thought unattainable for my position in life. Skating was the gift that set me free and has allowed me to not only meet, befriend my heroes, and, even call them team mates, but, has given me the greatest rewards of being able to share my love of skating with the world. I invite you to visit my page at www.myspace.com/13742576.

Thank you for your consideration,   

 

Danny Dannels

I have been itching inside. I can understand what addicts feel like when that thing that makes you feel whole is missing. That thing I need. That feeling. The part of me that needs speed. The part that needs to go fast as I can, as far as I can, finally surfaced. It built up until I felt like I needed to explode. So I did. I kept looking at the clock. My team was going to be at that place where we all get our jones fixed. I wasn't going to be there in my self-induced recovery/retirement. I kept staring at the clock. 6:00. They were all showing up there. 6:10. People were warming up. 6:15. I stood and announced that I was not going to eat dinner. I was in fact putting on my skates and leaving. 6:30. My team was beginning their workout. I was leaving my driveway. I needed it. I had to stop the pain in me. I needed fix. I needed to feel free. I skated from our home to the next city and back three times. I was gone for two hours and came home a throbbing mess. My legs quivered. My back spasmed. My ears were ringing from the house beats that had been playing in my ears. I dropped cyclists like they were standing still. I chased anyone and everyone on the trail like the marks they were and then moved on to the next piece of flesh. I skated as hard as my body would endure. Then I skated harder. I pushed until the familiar feeling of nausea and side cramps said that I hard reached nirvana. I began my final trek home. The cool down would begin. I was spent. Then I began to realize that the ever complaining ankle was not. I knew there was only one thing to do. Push. I dug down deep and pulled out the hardest two mile uphill from the river valley I had.I collapsed when I got home with my diaphragm close to seizure. Struggling to pull the Vaypors from my feet, I knew, the fix was only temporary. I would need it again, soon. I am an addict. I need this. It makes me right. This is the perfect drug.

Turns out, I came in 5th in the Pro Masters Division. Good finish, even after pulling up a few miles in due to a burning ankle. It was nice to skate a race that I was able to stand up and appreciate the scenery. 

I also got to spend some more quality time writing while Hillary drove today. Hopefully I can get a book written in the near future.

The weather was great. The course was great. My ankle started to give out at about 2 miles at race speed. So, I slowed it down and enjoyed hanging out with the rec skaters coming up from behind. I had a great skate. We hung out with some of our friends.

I would drive 1200 miles to have a day like that every weekend. The people that do this sport are the best people. Families and friends get together to go to the races at whatever capability level they bring. These are things in life that are good.

We are currently in Portage, WI sitting in the rain. The weather forecast calls for more rain tomorrow. I so want to skate the Badger state games, but I am nursing a stiff ankle. I think the smart move is to go home so that I can race another day. I am saddened by my decision to go home, but, I realize that it is in my best interest.

Best of luck to every skating tomorrow. 

Gonna go skate! Gonna go skate! Gonna go skate! Gonna go skate! 

I get so excited!

Gonna go skate! Gonna go skate! Gonna go skate! Gonna go skate!

I'm still way over my target weight, but, gonna go skate anyway!