Roy pg 1 4-19-12
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caption, page 9:
Inspiring Speaker
Travis Roy, Jessica Tavernier and her husband Troy Flagg. Courtesy photo.
Roy still
scores goals
By Ron P. Coderre
“C’mon Trav get up. You have a game to play.”
Those were the words of Lee Roy to his son, Travis Roy as he lay motionless on the ice in front of a full house at Boston University’s Agganis Arena.
Surrounded by medical personnel and realizing he was seriously injured after crashing into the boards only 11 seconds into his first collegiate hockey game, the 18 year old with so many goals remaining to accomplish in life, responded, “But Dad, I made it.”
As a youngster growing up in Maine, Travis Roy was an average student who worked hard to maintain a B average despite his dyslexia, so he could do what he loved most in life, play hockey. He was so into hockey that as a 15 year old he wrote out his three long-term goals. In order, his hat trick of what he wanted accomplish was – to play hockey on the NCAA Division I level; to play in the National Hockey League; and to play on the U.S. Olympic hockey team.
Ambitious challenges for a teenager. “Having goals is an often used cliché,” said Roy speaking to a packed Robert E. Miller Auditorium at QVCC. He also explained that it’s also nice when you can select the challenges you want in life. But when accidents occur, such as his mishap as a freshman for the Terrier icemen, things change quickly.
“The challenge had now chosen me, rather than the other way around,” said Roy.
And discovering something that he almost immediately suspected, that he would be a quadriplegic for life, he picked himself up and set some new goals for himself. But before he could work on his new goals there were the weeks and months laying on his back on a ventilator in a Boston hospital.
Then it was a rehabilitation hospital in Atlanta, Georgia for intensive therapy. He soon began to learn and realize that with a positive attitude he could move on with his life. He also wanted to not just move on; Travis Roy wanted to make a difference as he had planned to do when he was healthy. He set three new goals – to have passion for life; to take pride in everything he did; and to maintain a positive attitude despite tough times.
Roy credits the support and patience of his family, his mother and father, his sister and her children and his legion of friends, which has allowed him to become a productive member of society. Although he requires 24-hour attendant care and can’t drive, Roy lives in Boston not far from Fenway Park and Boston University. The proximity to two of his favorite places allows him to attend events at both locations. It has also played a major role in allowing him to establish The Travis Roy Foundation, which has raised more than $4 million for spinal cord injury survivors and medical research.
The program at QVCC opened with two brief videos of the BU opening game against North Dakota State University, which would be the final time Travis Roy would lace up and skate competitively. In the sold out crowd on that Oct. 25, 1995, evening was current Brooklyn resident Lynne Comtois. She was also in the sold out auditorium at QVCC 17 years later.
“The team had just raised the NCAA Championship banner prior to the game. It was a festive evening and the arena was loud with excitement. When the incident occurred, the noise level was still high until the crowd came to the realization that the injury was serious. The silence then became deafening,” said Comtois.
“I’m so happy to be here this evening because I’ve seen Travis come full circle. His attitude is inspirational,” she added.
Also in the QVCC audience was Putnam resident Troy Flagg, who like Roy is disabled from an injury incurred in a diving accident. Flagg, who is a 1994 graduate of Putnam High School where he played defensive tackle for the Clippers, sat in the front row in his wheelchair. Like Roy he was also a hockey player, participating in the Griffin Youth Hockey League as a youngster.
“I think I’m the only one in the audience who can understand where Travis is coming from. So many of the things he spoke about are circumstances I can relate to myself. I’m proud that he’s been able to move on in such a positive way,” said Flagg.
From the moment Roy wheeled himself to the center of the auditorium it was obvious he had everyone’s undivided attention. As he told his story there were many individuals, men and women, dabbing their eyes. Like that fateful evening on the campus of Boston University, the silence in the room was deafening. People captivated by the words and presence of Travis Roy.
“I’m rolling through life now, instead of skating through life,” said Roy in closing.
Travis Roy has endured the tragedy, summoned up the courage to move on and triumphed over a situation that could have given him cause to roll over and give up. He’s prepared himself, as he did as a hockey player for a “new faceoff” and scoring more goals.