I would like to touch a bit more on Tanner’s mom this week and tell you about a group that has been established in her honor. The name of the group is DebShred, and while some might find it an odd name, it was actually Debbie’s nickname.
There were many things I loved about Debbie, but one attribute in particular was her devotion to her family, friends, adventure, and being outside.
So, in her honor and in her memory Team DebShred was established as a means to openly promote a way of living that Deb enjoyed. The members of Team DebShred gather to participate in challenging outdoor events as a means of symbolism and to promote awareness of the hurdles faced by those dealing with brain tumors and other life challenging diseases… and to humbly remain aware of how lucky we all are in comparison.
One goal of the group is to raise money for brain tumor research and patient support. This fundraising occurs during special events, through clothing sales and voluntary donations and is not in any way a requirement for Team DebShred participation.
So how did DebShred originate as her nickname? Well, it was given to her by her friends simply because everything she did she ‘shredded’ up. Her snowboarding was graceful and fluid. When we rode our bikes up mountains, she would always beat me to the top. If we were snorkeling, she could always free dive further than me and hold her breath longer. It really didn’t matter what she was doing, she was simply one of those people that do well with all they attempt and I loved every minute of it. She was “DebShred,” and I was very proud of her.
She was a very positive person and one of those who always did a good job at anything she set her mind too. Now, for the record, if you find yourself in a position of dating a person like Deb you can pretty much be assured you are going to be asked to try new things and learn new skills. And that is exactly what happened to me. You see, Deb was a Master Scuba Diver, and there was no way she was going to let me live life without diving alongside her. So on our honeymoon in Maui, I got certified.
She loved Lake Tahoe and winter sports. At the time we met, I think I had skied a few times in my life and that really wasn’t going to work. So the next thing you know, I’m on my way to Tahoe almost every weekend so Deb can teach me how to snowboard.
I grew up in Marin County, California, which is considered to be the birthplace of mountain biking. From my early teen years through college you could find me riding my mountain bike on Mt. Tamalpais at least three or four times a week. There was a period right before I met Deb when I think I was burnt out on bikes and wasn’t riding. I knew immediately that cobwebs on my bike were not going to work with Deb so I started riding again… with her. I fell in love with riding once again, and we rode strong for years. She filled my life with new passions and brought new interests to my life that I now pass along to Tanner.
We are always looking for new additions to Team DebShred. We started off a few years back with a few participants and today we have over 20 team members. You don’t have to be a racer or superstar athlete and you don’t have to be local to be a part of the team. If you are interested in participating in an event with our team or under the DebShred header, send us an email and maybe we can get you a Team DebShred Jersey for the event. For more information including the 2010 event schedule please visit us on the web at DebShred or check us out on Facebook. It’s all about fun.
I hope you can take the time to check us out a bit further. For those of us who were fortunate enough to know Deb, we come together to remember. For those who never met her, we openly welcome you to come enjoy the fun, be challenged, get a little weird, and live like DebShred.
