January 19th, 2011 by Conor

I hung out with Danny quite a bit in high school. I don’t think I have seen him in at least 2 years now. When I think about Danny it makes me want to smile because he is such a good person and all the memories I have had with him are truly funny! I can remember one spring day Sarah Martin and I were hanging out with Danny and we were talking about an upcoming lacrosse match that they had and Sarah and I went to a lot of the matches together to support the team. Danny was all excited about it as usual and he was like “hey!!! why don’t you guys make a sign for me and bring it to the game.” Sarah and I were avid sign makers for our fellow Kennett Eagles sports teams and we were all for it. This sign was one of my favorites and probably the only one that I can still remember to this day. With it being Danny and all we knew we could get creative with it. Once the game started and we got there we were on the sidelines with our sign waving it in the air proud. I’ll never forget the look on Danny’s face when he looked over at us to read it. Kind of a blank stare like WTF…….shortly followed by a “danny smile and laugh.” Our sign read “DANNY T, NUMBER 3, WILL YOU PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!!” We later made it into a song and to this day it still makes me laugh and brings a smile to my face, hopefully it will do the same when Danny reads this. Danny, I cant wait to reunite one day (hopefully soon) and tell stories about the funny/stupid stuff we did in high school. Thinking about you daily and cant wait till the day we can talk/meet up again! Much love!!!!!!!

-Tara-

January 18th, 2011 by Conor

The whole sweatshirt story invoked some funny memories from when Danny would drop into various Shred residences I lived in, and spend a few nights on the couch.

It all started in Burlington Vermont where I was living in the downtown area and attending college. Danny, being a Burton rider, would often come to the area for events or to stop by the Burton headquarters. In the meantime, we’d party, exchange music, or just lounge. When all was said and done, Danny would leave and I would be enriched not only with good vibes, but new music, shred video’s, and to Danny’s sheer terror…a sick new sweatshirt!

We all know that Danny is the Freshest of Fresh, the Sultan of Swag, the Steeziest…you get it. I mean, the kid started a clothing company in college school called “Fligi” (pronounced Fly-Guy) which was not only repped by 100% of his friends, but also represented a lifestyle…to be that guy who is killing it and looking good doing it. So when he was coming to my neighborhood…game on!

The Tactic: Inflict Confusion upon DCT.

Upon receiving information that DCT would be sweeping through my vicinity for a few days, I would trash my room intentionally (99% of the time it was already trashed unintentionally), as to create an atmosphere of dysfunction as well as to disorientate . This tactic was bulletproof. He would stay, do whatever needed to be done in my neck of the woods, live amongst filth for a few days, and peace. That was the routine.

The Cleanup: Digging for Gold Babay!

Good times ensued, Danny would leave, then BAM! i’d not only clean my room, but find nuggets of swag within the chaos! These said nuggets of swag were most commonly zip up hoodies with vibrant colors that matched only the finest rare tropical birds of the Galapagos…

The Purpose: Now Danny had left hoodies in my Casa twice, once in Burlington, and once in Salt Lake City while he was visiting. And as malicious as my Tactics and Cleanup may seem, rest assured, I never really snuck one under Danny’s belt, Nor would I want to. The best part about this whole operation was the phone call I would receive not 4 hours after Danny had returned home, only to do an inventory on his gear, and realize that his finest Gnar accessory was missing amongst the rubble of my room. “Dude! I think I left my Hoody! You know the turquoise one with magenta infused swirls and a platinum zipper that zips over your head!!!!!” me: “Oh…I know exactly the one…” (sly grin). I’d wait a week and a half then Fed Ex it back.

End Result: People that knew me would see me in the freshest hoody I have ever worn and be like “wow…I didn’t know you had the potential to rise to such Freshness” i’d say “yeah you know” casually, then send the sweatshirt back to Danny, and all these people around me would be like “what just happened?” So there really is no moral and it’s a silly story, but it involves Danny and one of his many innate talents…to be the Flyest Guy I know.

~ Chris Rogers

January 18th, 2011 by Conor

I might not know Danny but from what I’ve read, seen from ST and being a fellow brother of shred.. but for some reason and I
can’t put my finger on it….I feel connected to Danny. His energy is infectious, his demeanor one that everyone wants, and his
skills immaculate (riding and video). I don’t know if i’ll ever get the chance to meet Danny, but I sit here and pray that his
recovery is one that allows Danny to get back to being able to share the love and joy his family and friends and maybe a miracle
to ride again! I will continue to pray for you guys as well as Danny and may God send his love and grace to Danny and all of you
guys! Get Shredder Danny…you’re the bomb!!!!

Joe Gossi -Boise, Idaho

January 17th, 2011 by Conor

I’ve been waiting to write something. But I didn’t know what. I knew I wanted it to count though. I’ve been reading other peoples letters and comments and they have all been so great and touching and moving, and I would sit and wonder where mine would fit in. Well it finally hit me yesterday around 2 oclock in the afternoon when I was looking in the mirror at myself crying, after just leaving the Home page of the Dannyisthebomb.com website. Now any of you that know me, probably know that I’m a bit of an emotional baby as it is. But these tears were warranted. Just that looking at that face, those eyes, and thinking of what he must look like now, and trying to imagine maybe what he’s feeling, if he’s feeling anything yet at all. It just overwhelmed me, and I can only imagine the strength Conor you must have to be displaying, to be the big brother and to be strong for your little brother as he lays there in his hospital bed, complete 180(little pun) from what you’ve been use to seeing you’re entire life.

I sit here and think to myself. What am I really feeling? Pain..? Yes. Sadness..? Yes. Confused and just really don’t know what to think or say..? Yes, yes, yes, across the board. I’m sure most of us out there across the country checking in and being a part of this, or atleast those of us who know Danny well (not trying to sound exclusive whatsoever), have had these same feelings and just overall internal unsettledness.

But that’s when it all hit me. I can’t be wasting time sitting around crying. Danny wouldn’t sit around and cry, he would be doing something, non-stop all the time. And he wouldn’t want any of us to cry if he had the choice and power. But this brings us to the point of realization that the “pain” I’m/we’re feeling is nothing compared to the reality that is soon going to hit Danny as he slowly awakens from his long long rest. Conor’s words could not be more true, and to paraphrase him “once Danny wakes up is when HIS pain and reality starts. This is not about us and never will or should be. He has never even been close to a place like this. Danny is use to flying high, being on top, and having fun. He is NOT use to not having control over his own body and situations. And he is not going to like it one bit.

So by now I’m sure it is no surprise to anyone how hard this is going to be for Danny. Knowing the athlete that Danny is and the nature of is competitiveness, he is going to have a very hard time swallowing this. But at the same time, if it’s even possible to say, there is a little bit of a blessing behind this as well. Look at what this has created. We have friends, family, and people who don’t even know Danny, from across the nation uniting together for one great cause. That is special. It’s a team that has formed, and a team that I personally feel amazed and proud to be a part of. I like to win. So does Danny. And this is a team full of winners who combined with Danny, will win once again. But we are going to have to be there the whole entire time, every inch, every step, every tear, every smile, until the process is deemed complete.

Part of it, as I said, will be good because of Danny’s drive and need for success will only help boost his progress tremendously. But part of it will be bad. Real bad in terms of what Danny sees through his eyes and thinks in his head. There are going to be days where even Danny will feel like crying, and although he may mask it with his natural toughness and charmer smile, this is when everyone absolutely needs to be there.

He is going to be in some hard, dark places. Places he’s never imagined being, never even known existed. The love from his family and friends, and everyone involved in this is what’s going to help him out, whether he likes it or not. For all of us, especially the Toumarkine family, this has seemed like a lifetime already, but please, let’s all try to remember that when Danny comes to, is when it ALL STARTS in real time. Not just for him, but for everyone. Let’s really keep our focus strong and straight, and with the help from some amazing doctors, friends, family, and Danny himself, we will all get through this together. I literally dream of the days of his laughing, and all the crazy, fun, learning times I’ve had with Danny. It can not come back soon enough. And I will be here waiting, along with hundreds of others, and I assume I can speak for all when i say we can’t wait for the comeback. Conor, you are an amazing brother and friend…you know we got this! Sending all of my love from the place where the shredding legend Danny Toumarkine started in the 603…Danny I miss you and love you so much and may God give you his strength to bring you back and bless us all.

Friend Forever, Drew Donabedian

January 17th, 2011 by Conor

I can honestly say I am horrible with feelings. I don’t like expressing them, and I prefer to hide my thoughts from the world. I work as hard as possible to not let anyone see how I truly feel. I know this isn’t the greatest quality, but it’s the truth. I have been trying to post my thoughts about Danny for the past week. When I first found out Danny was hurt I was in shock for a good 24 hours. Once I started understanding that something had seriously happened to my friend it hit me like a bus. Slamming into me at a speed I was not prepared for. As with every incident like this, I try my absolute best to lock it deep inside and not deal with it. Danny’s roommate and my good friend, Ian, came over after we found out and showed his equal love and support to the matter. I quickly realized this was gonna be hard to run from.

I needed something comforting, after taking Michelle to the airport, I still had friends like Will and Ian around to help keep my mind positive. We decided to make Danny a scrapbook, this scrapbook has helped the last two weeks pass. Being with the boys and working on it has only brought back amazing memories and laughs that Danny created in us. It brought so much positive energy to the situation, and helped all of us lighten our hearts.
The other morning I sent Danny his book, and it was almost difficult. I instantly needed something new to put my thoughts of Danny in a good direction. After Michelle had asked a couple times for me to write on dannyisthebomb.com I finally decided to open up and reflect on my friend Danny Toumarkine.

I can call Danny a great friend, but what Danny is to me is a big brother, a motivator, and an inspiration, someone who I want to do better for. In life you meet many people, there are people brought into your life for a reason and their energy pulls you in with force. It is so strong that they can create an inner drive in you to work harder and to be successful at whatever it is you love. You can share an equal love interest in something or have a common personality. These types of people create amazing friends. You almost don’t realize how strong they’re energy is to you, how much they are the fuel to your energy in life. Danny is an example of a person in my life that I know fuels my fire. He only wants his friends to move in a direction that motivates them to be happy. Regardless if he could relate to what it is you are passionate about, he is always supportive of any goals or aspirations his friends have.

We spent a great deal of the past few years snowboarding together. He was one of my first calls whenever I went riding to see what the plan for the day was. Just being on the mountain with him was a guaranteed good day. He would always take time out of his run to watch what I was doing, and would critique me. Tell me anything he thought wasn’t looking the greatest. In my book, there’s nothing better than this. Creating this inner drive in me when I was doing something, I was doing it as best I could to hear him tell me, “lookin good Nicki Jean.”
Becoming really close to the Toumarkine’s over the last few years, and pretty much owing a lot of my progression to the both of them. Whether it’s Conor mentally talking me through snowboarding, careers, life, whatever or Danny showing me anything I could ever wanna learn. The two of them inspired me to want to work my absolute hardest at what I loved. The past two weeks have been a struggle to even go out snowboarding. I never realized till now, how much the love and support from your friends influence you. I have never had someone so close to me have an accident like this.

I am currently flying to go to the 2nd stop of the Winter Dew Tour. I knew I had to get out on my board during the previous weeks if I was gonna have any chance of doing well at this contest. Everyday I have been on my board since the accident I let my imagination run wild, and pretend Danny is there just as any other day. I hit everything as if he is watching, waiting to hear him critique me. I am going into this contest really only riding for him. I want to put a run together that I know Danny would be proud of, something that he could be impressed with. Danny’s continuing energy is my guiding light that will not go away. I can only hope that when he gets out of this I can be a guiding light for him, as he has done for me. Giving him as much love and support that he has given me. I can’t wait for the day that I can return this to him when he needs it most.

Danny I love you very much, you are an amazing person, an amazing friend. I am here with as much support and help I could ever give. Please continue your fight through this, and come back to the Tahoe crew.

~Nicki Slechta

January 17th, 2011 by Conor

Danny T! I always said this when saying hello to Danny. He would always return and say Scottyyyyyyy B in some comical voice that made us both crack up with laughter. Hanging out with Danny was always a pleasure. I always go back and think of how I met Danny and even his brother Conor and it seems so odd to think how it evolved into so much more. I met Danny when he was promoting FLIGI (pronounced Fly Guy, before I met the bros I always pronounced it fleegee) his clothing company. I met him through Preston and soon Danny was introduced to the whole “Cranny Crew” haha. We had a blast all shredding together and before long Danny offered us to give us some gear that we could show off to promote his business. The crew dove into the FLIGI bandana line and steezed hard. Or at least we thought we did. The crew met Conor when we did a FLIGI photo shoot at Cranmore in the Lucky Loop and we had a blast hitting the rails and taking some pictures.
One of the biggest things I will always remember about meeting Danny was how comfortable he was at riding and how good he was at it, but when we talked with him about pursuing it further than just a hobby he told us he was too old! Sure all of the Cranny Crew was only in high school but he was only just out of college! We all thought it was ridiculous! Danny was always a great rider but when he finally convinced himself that he could make it in the pro snowboarding world, his skills took off like a bullet.
I have followed everything Danny and Conor have been doing with Shreddy Times and am very proud of them! They are role models to me as business people and also as people who are loving life and following their passion.

Some great experiences that I would never have had if it wasn’t for Danny are:

-All the excitement that came from being “sponsored” by FLIGI. I’m still enjoying the gear to this day.

-The River Trips (everyone from the Valley knows what Trip in particular I’m talking about) funny thing is that the first year I did it Zach wasn’t, therefore the only image I had of the man whose birthday we were celebrating was the Zach that was illustrated on Danny’s poster board haha.

-All the awesome people I have met around town because of Danny.

Deep into the future I will continue to enjoy Shreddy Times and the relationships that formed from Danny. Thanks for everything bro! Can’t wait till your better. I owe you some riding, I’ve been slacking hard!

Attached are some photos from the Fligi shoot taken by Conor. Also are some great shots from the 2nd annual river trip (not taken by me). And Ken decided not to post it so I thought I would, the result of the Twix/Snickers bet (also not taken by me).

-Scottyyyyyyyy B!

January 16th, 2011 by Conor

I also saw Danny’s sponsorship video a few years back. I have since
watched it too many times to count and have also shown it to a bunch
of my snowboard friends. I was amazed the first time I saw that video,
and even now, it gets me more pumped to go snowboarding than any other
video. I only found out about his accident a few days ago, and since
then I’ve been reading updates and stories from his friends. Danny, I
hope you get better soon and can take a look at all the love and
support that is around you. I know that you’ll have the strength to
make it back on the slopes someday. You are an incredibly talented
athlete, and I just wanted to let you know that I consider you my
favorite snowboarder. Get shredder!

-Rosanna Kwok

January 16th, 2011 by Conor

My name is Brenden Smith I am a Mount Washington Valley life long skier. I am 26 and have been following Shreddy Times since the beginning because I know Bobby Blake pretty well. Through Bobby I was told about how he makes awesome custom hats. I asked Danny and he made two great hats. I have met Danny only a few times in passing and have thanked him for his awesome trade. I have followed you both and the success of Shreddy Times.

I went to Jackson Hole this week with my girl friend Abby Rich who is also a life long skier and boarder of the Mount Washington Valley. We were in the backcountry of Jackson Hole yesterday and I wanted to wish Danny a fast recovery from one of the best places to shred in North America. Danny is the Bomb! He will be better soon the NH crowd roots for Shreddy Times and supports your every move.

Utmost Regards,

Brenden J. Smith and Abigail Rich

January 16th, 2011 by Conor

It’s 3 a.m. here in Australia, and again my mind is on Danny. I seriously considered flying to Montana to have a 3 day laugh fest with all of you. I looked up plane tickets and apparently u can’t pay with Monopoly money. Bummer. I visualized suprising you in Danny’s room with hugs, tears, and laughter. i would think of the funniest jokes on the plane ride over and tell them all to Danny when i got there. would really love to be there for his first laugh. that would be Epic!!! also would have to insult him and therefor be there for his first middle finger. He has really been the best friend i’ve ever had and I consider it an honor to call him my friend. especially when hot girls ask if i know him, i’m like “ya I know Danny Toumarkine, no big deal” it doesn’t bother me that even in his state right now he can still pull more tail than i could… (no offense michelle) You seem like ur starting to really come around and that makes me sooo glad to hear, and I’m sure about 3,000+ other people. Damnit you’re popular!! I love you to death bro and would trade places with you in a heartbeat given the chance. so please wake the hell up soon and call a brotha. I could use a good laugh! Much love and hope -Ian

January 16th, 2011 by Conor

Hang in there Danny. Every day is a challange. Every pain is a choice. It is your body testing your mind and will to live and go forward. Don’t let your body tell you what you know and believe you can conquer. Twenty-seven years ago I thought that the last thing I would do on this earth after a massive head injury was to give birth to my daughter. I wanted my family to have something of me to remember me by. It was the struggle of my life and it still hurts so I won’t lie. I still struggle with depression and overwhelming pain but it does get better as I get stronger and more willing to go forward. Keep moving… no matter how small the moves… no matter what it takes… if you can only use your brain than read; write; not about your injuries but about the things you want to do and the way that you will improve them. I am now a grandmother and my daughter and son-in-law are happy and in love. So my life was not a testimony to pain but a testament to love and healing. You are the only one that can keep you going. You are the power and the source of your own healing so take no words that keep you from your goal into your heart. Keep around positive people who believe what you know to be your life in the future. Things will change but only you can change them. Good luck and God Bless you Danny. You are the BOMB… and your video an inspiration.

~Rory Bente’