Recess Intl. just announced a beautiful limited edition release, commemorating the life and general badassery of Danny Severance. These will be available in limited quantities at RecessIntl.com, tomorrow, April 1st, at 8 pm EST. I’ll let his brother Tyler do the talking on this one.
My brother, Danny Severance, was and is one of my biggest inspirations not only in YoYoing but also in life. Anyone who met him would probably say something of a similar effect.
2 years ago he decided to take his own life. As much as it pains me and all of his family/friends and the people he touched, we all know he’s in a better place and wouldn’t want us wallowing in sorrow.
So instead, I’ve made some YoYos in his honor. If you ever got to meet Danny or see some video of him throwing earlier on, you would know how partial he was to a Purple Freehand Zero with plain white caps. A clean look inspired by Seth Peterson and so many of his idols who threw Freehands before him.
This is an original Anti-Yo YWET powder coated in his favorite color way. As you may know these YoYos weren’t sold to the public due to a bearing seat machining error. This is fixed with a simple shim to adjust the gap of you YoYo, and all pieces are hand tested to perfection before shipping. Shims will be glued into place.
They’ll be funding a team who will be walking the “Out of the Darkness” overnight fundraiser, with all proceeds being used in the fight for suicide prevention.
If you’d like to donate regardless of YoYo Purchase you can do that at this link:
http://theovernight.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donordrive.participant&participantID=17894
YoYos will be released on Friday April 1st (8 PM EST), and be shipped in mid April after powder coating is completed. Price will be $70.
I’d seen Danny (and Tyler) at a number of contests, but never even spoke to them because, well, I lack social skills. Despite that, however, reading this and remembering the spirit that seemed to surround Danny brought me a bit of clarity and emotion. I always like it when yo-yo companies (and people) will reach beyond the sport to play a part in a meaningful cause. I’m pleased to share a community with Tyler, who is taking a terrible, terrible experience and trying to make something positive out of it.
I remember first meeting Tyler back at Worlds 2006. I remember he was throwin 2A in the lobby. He had the strings around his index fingers. I honestly think he could have had the string loops around his thumbs and it would not have mattered.
I walked up to him from across the hall and said, ‘I wonder if you actually realize how good you are’. He just smiled like it was nothing.
At that time I didn’t even know he had a brother.
Interestingly when I met Danny, it was in a very similar way. He was just standing on the grass in a park, shredding endless tricks….with a cigarette in his mouth. He was a trick machine and he was so smooth that the ashes on the cig were about an inch long and they didn’t even fall off. I asked a kid standing close to me, ‘Hey, do you know that guy’? He said, sure, that is Tylers’ brother.
I walked up,and talked to him for a few minutes. He didn’t seem to think much about his skill level. Just a very low key guy with a pretty complicated mind.
When Danny decided to ‘punch out early’ I clearly remember feeling completely puzzled about ‘why’?
Then I realigned my focus to the present. Realizing that we are All eventually gonna see Danny again. He just left us early.
It’s said that people never really leave us as long as we remember them in better times.
We can watch the videos and our memories are refreshed and his skills are timeless.
Danny was a good kid and I sure miss him.