Matt Sturlaugson was down 10-1 and breathing heavily when his racquetball opponent hit a between-the-legs shot. There's a reason Chris Coy is a national racquetball champion.
"I think he hit three shots that were full force," said Sturlaugson, a local racquetball player and Shriner who helped coordinate Coy's appearance in Fargo.
The full force of Coy's appearance had more to do with motivation than racquetball. A handful of kids watched the Oklahoman's every move Thursday at Courts Plus Fitness Center in Fargo.
His every move was quicker than most. The fact he has a prosthetic leg was almost an afterthought.
He was born with cancer in his stomach, underwent chemotherapy until he was 2 years old and then survived an infection that put him into a coma.
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He was sent to Shriners Hospital in Shreveport, La., where the decision was made to amputate his left foot and ankle.
Mike Coy, Chris' father, said doctors at the Shreveport Hospital opted to amputate at the ankle instead of another hospital that wanted to do it toward the knee.
"He was 3½ years old, couldn't walk and couldn't control his hands," Mike Coy said.
Now 16, Chris Coy is an experienced spokesman for the Shriners. He tells kids to look to the future and not dwell on their past.
He's seen kids feeling sorry for themselves "many times" and deals with that by giving them brotherly advice.
"I look back and think I'm a real lucky kid," he said. "I look at Lance Armstrong. Look at him and look at me. It can happen. You can accomplish things."
Armstrong overcame cancer to win five Tour de France bicycle racing titles. Coy won this year's Men's Elite National Championship. He was the 2002 Men's "A" national champ and was named the 2000 Sports Illustrated Young Sportsman of the Year.
His trip to Fargo was initiated by Randy Gilbraith, the chairman of this Saturday's North Dakota Shrine all-star football game at the Fargodome. He was at a seminar in Florida that was also attended by the Coy family.
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"He's given back more to the Shriners than what the Shriners have given him," Gilbraith said.
He got into racquetball when his parents bought a health club in their hometown of Elk City, Okla.
"I was fascinated to try it," Chris said. "That's where my life was. I used to lose every once in a while and that hurt me a lot. I was a kid, I didn't understand. Now, losing, it's really not that bad."
As Sturlaugson experienced, it takes a great player these days to beat Coy.
"I've seen him play a few times," Sturlaugson said. "He's a gentleman. Well-mannered. He promotes the sport well as a spokesman for Shriners Hospital. He's a great kid."
Readers can reach Forum reporter Jeff Kolpack at (701) 241-5546
