Erskine students learn from Travis Roy speech

By SCOTT MARTIN, Staff Writer

SOUTH CHINA — With a pen gripped between his teeth, Travis Roy signed copies of his book "Eleven Seconds: A Story of Tragedy, Courage & Triumph." Standing behind him, his father, Lee, held the books open in front of Travis's face. Travis wrote "To . . .," on each book by moving his head to move the pen.

Seven and a half years ago, Yarmouth native Travis had what he called "the best and the worst day" of his life. On Oct. 20, 1995 he realized his dream of playing Division I hockey for defending national champion Boston University. Eleven seconds into the first shift of his college career, he severed his spinal cord when he crashed into the boards chasing down a puck in the corner.

The injury not only cost Roy the ability to play hockey, but the ability to walk. He also lost the ability to write with his hand.

Monday afternoon, sitting in a wheelchair positioned in the foul lane in the gym at Erskine Academy in front of the entire student body, Roy, now 27, spoke of his dreams, his injury and his philosophy on life.

"The trainer was poking at me asking if I could feel this or feel that, and I said, 'no,' but I had on all kinds of hockey equipment on so why would I," Roy told the crowd at Erskine. "Then I saw this glove moving and I wonder, 'Who's glove is that?' Then I realized that the trainer was moving my hand and I had no idea he was doing it. Then is when I said, 'I'm in trouble.'"

The spinal cord injury left Roy paralyzed from his shoulders down. He has regained some movement in his right arm, but has no feeling in it.

"The biceps has some movement, but I can't feel the paper I'm moving around right now," said Roy, who lives in Boston. "I can't feel my face when I touch it."

The speech was set up by the Erskine Academy Renaissance Committee. The committee, made up of teachers and Erskine Academy staff members, was looking for a motivational speaker, and Julie Jackson, social studies teacher and committee member, suggested Roy after reading his book.

To this day, Roy sometimes has trouble watching the video of the play. Sometimes, when it is shown at speeches like the one he gave Monday at Erskine, he won't watch. But the years between the hit and everything he has endured since then, make it a little easier for him to watch.

"Sometimes I look away because it's hard to see," Roy said while signing his book.

During his speech, Roy told the audience of his goals before entering Boston University, which included playing Division I hockey, playing in the Olympics and in the NHL, as well maintaining a B average at Tabor Academy, a prep school in Massachusetts.

"I thought he stressed the importance of setting goals and holding onto your values," Jackson said about Roy's speech. "I think the students learned that everyone has an inner strength they may not know about until they are faced with circumstances like Travis was."

Despite the fact an injury suffered playing hockey may keep Roy in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, he holds no grudge against the sport.

"I still love it," Roy said. "I love the skill it takes to play hockey. I love watching the game. Sometimes, I really wish I was out there, but there is nothing I could have done differently."

Where hockey used to be Roy's life, much of it is now dedicated to The Travis Roy Foundation, which raises money to benefit spinal cord research. Roy, who now lives in Boston, hopes that within the next 10 years, a cure will be found for spinal cord injuries, which will allow him to walk again.

"I hope to come back here in 10 years and stand in front you all," Roy said.

Roy, who graduated from Boston University with a degree in communications in 2000, said he makes three or four speeches every month.

Many Erskine students stayed around after the speech to ask Roy more questions and to purchase his book, each of which he autographed.

One student asked Roy if helping others cope with similar injuries has made it easier for him to cope with it himself. Roy said as much as he wants to help others with the same injury enjoy the same benefits he does, including the proper wheelchair, vehicles and computers, he said it is sometimes hard being in the same room with those people.

"I don't like being in a group with other people with spinal-cord injuries," Roy said. "It hurts to look out there and to know that is what I look like. I don't like to be reminded of what I look like in a wheelchair."

On Friday, Erskine will hold a dress-down day, where students and teachers can pay a price to "dress down," and all the proceeds will go to the Travis Roy Foundation.

-March 25, 2003-