TIMBERVILLE, Va. (AP) — The last time Danny Hardy’s name was in the Daily News-Record, it was for smashing a police cruiser’s windshield with a baseball bat and attacking a live donkey in a church nativity scene in 1997.
After dropping out of high school in the 10th grade, police officers called Broadway native Hardy — then 19 — a “thorn in the side” of law enforcement, and Broadway’s police chief vowed over the ensuing months to punish him to the fullest extent of the law.
“I would get hot-headed, I would get mad, I would blow up,” Hardy said. “And I would wind up cussing the wrong person out. What we call it is shooting yourself in the foot.”
Continuing down the same path, at age 22, Hardy was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for “selling a lot of drugs,” he said. Hardy said he was sent to a maximum-security penitentiary.
But while incarcerated for nearly two decades, Hardy said he was introduced to Ultimate Frisbee, a game that changed his life for the better. Now a successful business owner in Rockingham County, he’s bringing the game to Timberville’s American Legion Park.
Hardy served alongside gang members, people that could get you or your family killed because they had connections on the outside. There were rules, Hardy said, rules to being a gangster, rules to who you could mess with and rules to who you shouldn’t mess with.
“When I went to prison, first got there, I was just 140 pounds. I’ve been small my whole entire life,” Hardy said. “Went there, and when I saw those dudes who are 6 (foot) 3 (inches), 6 (feet), 7, 8 (inches), 320 pounds of just rock, it was the first time I got scared in my life.”
Because his sentence was so long, he got advice to keep his “head in here” from other people who had long sentences, he said. Counting days would make anybody go crazy. He learned how to survive in prison around some dangerous people, he said.
“Being a criminal, there’s certain rules to the game. When you subject yourself to a prison sentence, you’re subject to their rules, and it might not work out in your favor,” Hardy said.
Having gotten a GED while in the Rockingham County Jail, Hardy eventually took another course that allowed him to take college-level classes. He also took some mindset classes while incarcerated, Hardy said. Hardy said he earned an associate degree and three certificates related to business over nine years while incarcerated.
“Being dumb, being uneducated could cost you a lot,” Hardy said. “You’re not going to be awarded a lot of opportunities. If you break the law, you are giving up your rights. Don’t ever give up your rights.”
In addition to chipping away at an education, Hardy worked out every single day in jail, because he was “so bored.” He chose to work in recreation when he could, teaching fitness classes and leading recreational activities for inmates, running informal competitions similar to the television show “The Biggest Loser,” a weight loss challenge, and “most fit,” a strength competition.
Along the way, Hardy said he was able to help sick people improve their physical health, and he liked doing that, even introducing the non-contact and versatile sport Ultimate Frisbee to the camps he lived in, setting the rules of the game so it could be played in recreational fields without causing trouble.
“It’s a non-contact sport. It’s not like you’re going to go tackle somebody,” Hardy said of the football-like sport with the object of catching a Frisbee in the end zone. “(But) I changed the rules up a little bit. Because you’re still in prison and you still get aggressive and you could get potential problems,” Hardy said.
Hardy kept to his routine, working his way “down” over the years to a minimum-security federal prison, racking up thousands of consecutive days of good behavior, leading games of Frisbee along the way.
“It just grew legs and you got so much exercise out of it,” Hardy said. “It worked out so good in prison. I had so much fun.”
Hardy was released from prison about six years ago.
Trying to make up for lost time, he was eager to find a construction job but it turned out not to be a good fit and he moved to auto detailing. While managing a detailing shop in Harrisonburg, he saved money, working extra hours, in hopes of starting his own business.
“Man, I didn’t have a business loan. I didn’t have a family loan,” Hardy said. “I had worked on weekends. I had done everything I possibly could to finally get a shot.”
He ran into problems trying to open his shop — on Timber Way between Broadway and Timberville — because of zoning. He said he recalls feeling frustrated, but instead of resorting to anger — like he would have done in the past — he walked away and tried to think of a solution.
“I just kept thinking, ‘I need to find a way,’” Hardy said, drawing on skills he acquired from certifications throughout his sentence. “I went into it and I found the verbiage and I had to go back and put it on their desk.”
Sure enough, the second time around, Hardy said the permitting was approved and he could start his automotive detailing business, called Maxx Car Wash and Detailing, which opened about two years ago.
“In prison, I didn’t get to touch the door. I didn’t get to touch the keys,” Hardy said. “Now, I wake up without an alarm clock and whenever I come to work, I can work for as long as I want and I get paid for the work that I do.”
Wanting to give back to his community, Hardy introduced Ultimate Frisbee in Timberville, working with Mayor Don Delaughter to have the town level and shape a field in American Legion Park to use for the family-friendly sport.
“We’re going to have disabled people down there, being able to play a sport and be involved with the game where they normally never could. That’s how big this is,” Hardy said.
Hardy said it’s an inclusive sport that anyone can play, and he created the group Rockingham County Ultimate Frisbee on Facebook. The group launched in the summer and hosted a couple of games that drew families to play and a lively fan section from Timber View Assisted Living, Hardy said.
“I wasn’t too sure at the beginning, but it was so much fun,” said Amanda Hardy, Danny’s wife, who he said helped him start his business and get his life on track. “Sounds intimidating at first, but once you get out there it’s so much fun. The kids enjoy it and it’s great exercise.”
Now Hardy said business is busy and the kids are in fall sports at school, so the group hasn’t held a game in a while.
Hardy found himself in the Daily News-Record again recently, but not for crime. His business, Maxx Car Wash and Detailing, was named Best Detailing Service in the Best of Valley competition this year.
“He’s one of the hardest workers I know,” Delaughter said. “I see him out there working seven days a week.”
And Hardy has no intention of stopping.
“Nothing can stop me out here. If you can have a positive mind, you find yourself with opportunities,” Hardy said, while shining up a bright orange 2022 Ford Raptor from Northern Virginia. “A lot of people would give up, but I’m not going to give up.”
