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TUESDAY@THE RINK
CHAT LIVE With Travis Roy
Welcome to the CSTV.com moderated chat room!
On Tuesday, March 14 at 1:00 p.m. ET,
Travis Roy enters the chatroom
at "Tuesday
@ The Rink", presented by
CSTV.com and
USCHO.com.
Travis Roy first put on ice skates at just 20 months
old. As years passed, his love for the game of hockey quickly became a
passion. In the fall of 1995 Roy accomplished one of his dream goals by
earning a hockey scholarship to Boston University. At twenty-years of age he
entered into his first collegiate hockey game. Eleven seconds into his first
shift, his life changed forever as he crashed into the boards and cracked
his fourth and fifth cervical vertebra, paralyzing him from the neck down.
Despite this ill twist of fate, Roy has continued to
persevere and defy the odds. With an intense rehabilitation regime, he has
regained some movement in his right arm. While coming to grips with his life
as a quadriplegic, he returned to Boston University less than a year after
his accident. Four years later, he graduated with a degree in public
relations from Boston University's prestigious College of Communication. In
the storied history of BU Terriers hockey, Roy's #24 is the only jersey to
have been retired.
An articulate advocate for individuals living with
spinal cord injuries, Roy is a frequent speaker on the hope research carries
and the need for increased funding, including testifying before a US Senate
Committee hearing for The National Institute of Health in Washington, DC and
the Massachusetts state legislature. In 1997, he founded the
Travis Roy Foundation, a 501 (c)(3)
nonprofit that focuses on finding a cure for spinal cord injuries and
provides grants to spinal cord injury survivors in financial need to help
them purchase costly adaptive equipment necessary to live more active and
independent lives.
Actively involved in the activities of the Foundation
that bears his name, Roy is a popular motivational speaker
and has also
worked as a color commentator for college hockey games on ESPN and WMTW-TV8
in Maine. A Boston, MA resident, he spends his summers with his family on
Lake Champlain in Vermont. Roy can also be found supporting his Terriers at
Boston University hockey games, or with a paint brush in his mouth working
on his latest work of art.
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| CSTV.com Moderator: Welcome back
to "Tuesday @ The Rink". We have a very special guest for the second half of
today's doubleheader and are now joined by Travis Roy. |
| Travis Roy: Hi, everyone. It is a
pleasure to be here today to take your questions. I am ready to get started. |
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| Jake (St. Paul): Hi Travis! How
you are doing well. What are your thoughts on BU's success this year
compared to recent years? |
| Travis Roy: It sure is a lot more
fun to watch. I think the last few years, they just weren't getting the top
recruits. Clearly, we are starting to see a difference and the young players
are contibuting. There is a great balance with the upper classmen as well.
That all goes back to having a top-notch facility. |
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| Brandon (Massena, NY): Travis,
your book 11 Seconds has been not only an inspiration to me, but to
everybody i have recommended it to. I was also at the game allie skelly (SLU)
fractured a vertabrae in his back, ending his career. Do you believe players
are becoming careless in hockey with hitting from behind? Are the current
rules strict enough, or should they enforce these extremely dangerous hits? |
| Travis Roy: That is a great
question. I've heard people argue both sides. I've always felt that the more
dangerous hits (charging, hitting from behind) are the most severe penalties.
Overall, I feel that there still is enough respect for the game by the
players that spinal cord or other real serious injuries are rare in hockey. |
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| Rick (Saco, ME): Have you had a
chance to speak with your fellow Tabor alum Khaliq Gant (Cornell basketball)
since his spinal cord injury earlier this year? If so, what do you think is
the most important advice you've given him? |
| Travis Roy: I happened to be at
the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, where I did my rehab, and he was transferred
there as well. I saw him two weeks ago. I think the best advice I gave him
was really to get the most out of the time at the Shepherd Center, as far as
the rehab. Try to stay positive and take advantage of the time he is there,
because I believe it is the best spinal cord rehabilitation facility in the
world. |
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| Sherwin (Pittsburgh): How does it
make you feel, every time you see your jersey hung up in the rafters? Does
it make you emotional, proud, or both? |
| Travis Roy: A little bit of both.
Mostly proud and when I say proud, when I look at it, I feel it represents
everyone that supported me after my accident, from Coach Parker to my former
teammates to my own family to the many hockey fans that have supported me
since the accident. I feel everyone has contributed to my life and why I
have been able to move forward and come as far as I have since my accident. |
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| Adam (Watertown, Mass.): Do you
have a particular favorite case that the Travis Roy Foundation has been able
to help with? |
| Travis Roy: I can't say I do,
only because we have given grants to over 200 people at this point - some
were puchasing wheelchairs, some for voice-activated computers, as well as
other adaptive equipment. Each one of our grants has improved the quality of
life for the recipient and their family. It would be impossible for me to
single out one case. I'm just grateful to those who have supported the
Foundation and helped us improve the lives of other spinal cord injury
survivors. |
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| Jon (Norton): Do you get to
interact much with the players from BU? Are they inspired by your story, and
do they make an effort to know the real Travis Roy? |
| Travis Roy: If anything, during
my four years at BU as a student, I did my best to go to every game and be a
part of the team. That was a lot of fun and I got a lot out of it. Since my
class graduated in 1999, each year, I've probably become less close to the
individual players, which is by my choice. I wish I did a better job at
establishing relationships with the current players and it is something I
hope to work on. |
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| Jim (Worcester): Do you ever stop
and think "wow, I'm the only person in the history of BU hcokey to have his
number retired"? What type of feeling does that give you? |
| Travis Roy: I am definitely very
aware of it. To be honest, I feel a little pressure trying to live up to
being the only one whose number is retired. I have so much respect for the
previous players and the current players. Sometimes, it is hard to believe
my number is the only one hanging from the rafters. I think I might feel a
little relief someday if we see another number up there. |
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| Pete (Natick): Where did you give
what you consider your favorite motivational speech? |
| Travis Roy: There are all kinds
of audiences now, from lawyers to doctors to college students. My favorite
talks right now are to junior high and high school students. High school is
always a tricky time and I was fortunate that I feel I made a lot of good
decisions that helped me achieve my dream of earning a scholarship to play
collge hockey. I feel like I can still relate to many high school students.
If I can help them establish their own set of values and set goals, I get a
good sense of accomplishment to what I am doing with my life now. |
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| Peter (Chicago, IL): Hey Travis.
I worked with you in Buffalo when I was with the Sabres and I am now in
Chicago with the Blackhawks. Any hope of spreading the foundations roots out
to the Midwest. Hope you and the family are well. |
| Travis Roy: The Foundation is
amazing in that we have given grants all over the country. Most of our
fundraising takes place in the Northeast, but we are always looking for
people to get involved in raising money for the Foundation, no matter where
they live. For those that have questions about what the Foundation is all
about, or would like to get involved, the website's address is
www.travisroyfoundation.org. It is great to see Chris Drury and Mike Grier
having a great year with Buffalo. I hope things are going well for you in
Chicago, Peter. |
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| Ryan (Waltham): What do you think
surprises people most when they meet you at the Beanpot or other events
where the Travis Roy Foundation raises money? |
| Travis Roy: I think mostly that
after just talking to me for a couple minutes, how quickly people forget
that I am paralyzed or in a wheelchair. I also hope that people see I remain
positive and still love watching college hockey and being a part of the
atmosphere. |
| CSTV.com Moderator: That is all
the time we have with Travis this afternoon. |
| Travis Roy: Thank you very much
for having me. I had a great time. And a special thank you to everyone who
has supported the Travis Roy Foundation. |
| CSTV.com Moderator: Join us again
next week for another "Tuesday @ The Rink" doubleheader. The brackets will
be set, so there will be a lot to talk about. Check back to find out who our
guests will be. See you next week. |