Bryce Ravndalen - Grand Forks Herald
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southernmnscout
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Re: Bryce Ravndalen - Grand Forks Herald
What a great article. Sounds like a great kid and I know he is an excellent hockey player. SCSU got a good one in Bryce!
Last edited by southernmnscout on Mon Nov 26, 2007 10:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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RoseauWarrior
- Posts: 64
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Here you go!
AREA BOYS HOCKEY PREVIEW FEATURE: Ravndalen's long road to the top
By Brad Schlossman
Herald Staff Writer - 11/22/2007
Bryce Ravndalen sometimes writes about the day, the hill and the journey that he'll never forget.
It begins with a beautiful Friday afternoon in March 2005, perfect enough for a snowmobile trip near the picturesque Lake of the Woods.
That's where Ravndalen rode up a hill and came crashing down on the other side, suffering such a catastrophic injury that it should have ended life as he knew it.
At least that's what the doctors said.
Ravndalen's fifth vertebra fractured into five pieces when he plunged 12 feet, landed on his head and rolled forward. Ninety-eight percent of people who suffer a similar injury, doctors say, either die on the spot or are paralyzed for life from the neck down.
Not Ravndalen.
He pulled his snowmobile out of a crevice, drove it home through excruciating pain, had the injury mistreated at first, went through complicated surgery, lost 25 pounds and was told he'd never play sports again.
Forgive his father, Milo, for shedding tears last spring when he sat in the other room and listened to his son verbally accept a scholarship offer to play hockey at Division I St. Cloud State.
"Someone was looking out for him on that day," Milo said.
Fateful Friday
"That day," is March 25, 2005, Good Friday.
Rather than going to play hockey like usual, Ravndalen took the snowmobile out to cruise around Pine Island, located just north of Baudette, Minn.
He came upon a hill that he thought went up and down with similar slopes on both sides. The sun made it difficult to see. As he got to the top, he realized it was simply a 12-foot dropoff on the other side. Ravndalen quickly put on the brakes, but it was too late. He was thrown from his snowmobile and landed on his head.
"It hurt really bad, but I thought I just got a stinger, like you do in football," said Ravndalen, who was 15 at the time.
Oblivious to the fact that his fifth vertebra was in pieces, Ravndalen pulled his snowmobile out of a tight spot, flipped it over and rode it two miles back home.
His head was in pain. He felt a tingling sensation down his back every time he went over the smallest of bumps. And when he got home, he could barely move because he hurt so bad.
Ravndalen's mother, Nina, knew a trip to the Baudette hospital was necessary.
When the shaken Ravndalen arrived, doctors took X-rays and told him that he needs to go to Grand Forks for further evaluation. They put him in an ambulance for the three-hour trip.
Robbie Bina and
Dr. Daryll Dykes
In Grand Forks, they put Bryce in a halo, but one doctor pulled Milo aside and urged him to get a second opinion.
Exactly a week earlier, UND hockey player Robbie Bina suffered a shattered C-7 vertebra when he was checked into the boards during a playoff game. Bina's case was well publicized in the area and the Ravndalens had been following media coverage.
Milo pulled out a phonebook and started calling the Binas listed in Grand Forks Robbie's hometown. On the first try, he got a hold of a relative, who put Milo in touch with Robbie's mother, Rose.
Rose and her husband, Bob, both told Milo about Robbie's situation and said that they were pleased with the work of Dr. Daryll Dykes, a Twin Cities surgeon who specializes in spine injuries. Dykes performed Bina's surgery just days earlier.
So, Milo sent the X-rays of his son's spine to Dykes, who examined them and immediately called the family with terrifying news: Without surgery, Bryce could wind up paralyzed by simply falling down.
The halo would have healed the broken vertebra. But Bryce suffered ligament tears around the spine. Without healthy ligaments for support, his spinal cord would always be at risk.
"It was a surprise to us," Milo said. "Don't think that the Grand Forks doctors were to blame for anything, though. It was just a matter of expertise. Dykes is one of the best in the world."
Ravndalen went to the Twin Cities for an operation nearly identical to the one performed on Bina. The vertebra was put back together and permanent titanium straps were put around the bone from the C-4 to C-6 vertebra to support his shattered C-5.
The surgery, performed by Dykes, was a success.
Still, there was one problem. After the operation, doctors told Ravndalen that he would never be able to play sports again.
"Right away, when the accident happened, I didn't care as much. Everything was kind of overwhelming," Ravndalen said. "But when they told me I wouldn't ever play again, I started crying right away."
He was thankful to be walking and talking, but that didn't make it any easier to give up hockey. In fact, while his friends played in a summer hockey league, Ravndalen said he wouldn't even go in the arena. He'd sit in the parking lot and wait for them to finish.
Robbie Bina sent Ravndalen encouraging e-mails, telling him to keep working hard and to never give up on his dream.
Ravndalen did exactly that and it led to another unforgettable day.
The good word
The Ravndalens returned to the Twin Cities for a six-month checkup on Aug. 26 of the same year.
Dykes examined Ravndalen's progress and came to the conclusion that he was 100 percent healed and that he could play sports again. It came as a big surprise to the Ravndalens.
"They never led us on to believe that Bryce would play sports again," Milo said. "We were ecstatic, but guarded, too, because of the physicalness of the sport of hockey. As a dad, I was afraid to see him step back on the ice. But I also was very proud of his courage, desire and heart to continue playing the game he loves."
It didn't take long for Ravndalen to hit the ice. The day after he was cleared, Ravndalen tried out for the Section 8A Elite 2 team and made it.
He hasn't slowed down since.
Last season, Ravndalen piled up big numbers for Section 8A champion Warroad 66 points in 31 games. It was enough to convince St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko to offer a scholarship. Ravndalen accepted.
"I always dreamed of playing in the WCHA," he said. "I thought I would never have the chance to play after the accident."
Now, he's a year or two away from achieving that dream. And when the puck drops Dec. 1 in Grand Forks to open Warroad's season, Ravndalen figures to be one of Section 8A's top players.
He'll play the season with the goal of a state championship and his dream of college hockey alive and well.
And he'll continue writing about his journey from time to time, trying to preach the lesson he's learned through the last 30 months to others.
"If you want it bad enough," he says, "it doesn't matter what happens. You can achieve it with hard work.
"When I think about the accident, I feel really lucky. I could have easily been part of that 98 percent. I'm thankful it didn't happen that way."
Reach Schlossman at 780-1129, (800) 477-6572 ext. 129 or bschlossman@gfherald.com.
By Brad Schlossman
Herald Staff Writer - 11/22/2007
Bryce Ravndalen sometimes writes about the day, the hill and the journey that he'll never forget.
It begins with a beautiful Friday afternoon in March 2005, perfect enough for a snowmobile trip near the picturesque Lake of the Woods.
That's where Ravndalen rode up a hill and came crashing down on the other side, suffering such a catastrophic injury that it should have ended life as he knew it.
At least that's what the doctors said.
Ravndalen's fifth vertebra fractured into five pieces when he plunged 12 feet, landed on his head and rolled forward. Ninety-eight percent of people who suffer a similar injury, doctors say, either die on the spot or are paralyzed for life from the neck down.
Not Ravndalen.
He pulled his snowmobile out of a crevice, drove it home through excruciating pain, had the injury mistreated at first, went through complicated surgery, lost 25 pounds and was told he'd never play sports again.
Forgive his father, Milo, for shedding tears last spring when he sat in the other room and listened to his son verbally accept a scholarship offer to play hockey at Division I St. Cloud State.
"Someone was looking out for him on that day," Milo said.
Fateful Friday
"That day," is March 25, 2005, Good Friday.
Rather than going to play hockey like usual, Ravndalen took the snowmobile out to cruise around Pine Island, located just north of Baudette, Minn.
He came upon a hill that he thought went up and down with similar slopes on both sides. The sun made it difficult to see. As he got to the top, he realized it was simply a 12-foot dropoff on the other side. Ravndalen quickly put on the brakes, but it was too late. He was thrown from his snowmobile and landed on his head.
"It hurt really bad, but I thought I just got a stinger, like you do in football," said Ravndalen, who was 15 at the time.
Oblivious to the fact that his fifth vertebra was in pieces, Ravndalen pulled his snowmobile out of a tight spot, flipped it over and rode it two miles back home.
His head was in pain. He felt a tingling sensation down his back every time he went over the smallest of bumps. And when he got home, he could barely move because he hurt so bad.
Ravndalen's mother, Nina, knew a trip to the Baudette hospital was necessary.
When the shaken Ravndalen arrived, doctors took X-rays and told him that he needs to go to Grand Forks for further evaluation. They put him in an ambulance for the three-hour trip.
Robbie Bina and
Dr. Daryll Dykes
In Grand Forks, they put Bryce in a halo, but one doctor pulled Milo aside and urged him to get a second opinion.
Exactly a week earlier, UND hockey player Robbie Bina suffered a shattered C-7 vertebra when he was checked into the boards during a playoff game. Bina's case was well publicized in the area and the Ravndalens had been following media coverage.
Milo pulled out a phonebook and started calling the Binas listed in Grand Forks Robbie's hometown. On the first try, he got a hold of a relative, who put Milo in touch with Robbie's mother, Rose.
Rose and her husband, Bob, both told Milo about Robbie's situation and said that they were pleased with the work of Dr. Daryll Dykes, a Twin Cities surgeon who specializes in spine injuries. Dykes performed Bina's surgery just days earlier.
So, Milo sent the X-rays of his son's spine to Dykes, who examined them and immediately called the family with terrifying news: Without surgery, Bryce could wind up paralyzed by simply falling down.
The halo would have healed the broken vertebra. But Bryce suffered ligament tears around the spine. Without healthy ligaments for support, his spinal cord would always be at risk.
"It was a surprise to us," Milo said. "Don't think that the Grand Forks doctors were to blame for anything, though. It was just a matter of expertise. Dykes is one of the best in the world."
Ravndalen went to the Twin Cities for an operation nearly identical to the one performed on Bina. The vertebra was put back together and permanent titanium straps were put around the bone from the C-4 to C-6 vertebra to support his shattered C-5.
The surgery, performed by Dykes, was a success.
Still, there was one problem. After the operation, doctors told Ravndalen that he would never be able to play sports again.
"Right away, when the accident happened, I didn't care as much. Everything was kind of overwhelming," Ravndalen said. "But when they told me I wouldn't ever play again, I started crying right away."
He was thankful to be walking and talking, but that didn't make it any easier to give up hockey. In fact, while his friends played in a summer hockey league, Ravndalen said he wouldn't even go in the arena. He'd sit in the parking lot and wait for them to finish.
Robbie Bina sent Ravndalen encouraging e-mails, telling him to keep working hard and to never give up on his dream.
Ravndalen did exactly that and it led to another unforgettable day.
The good word
The Ravndalens returned to the Twin Cities for a six-month checkup on Aug. 26 of the same year.
Dykes examined Ravndalen's progress and came to the conclusion that he was 100 percent healed and that he could play sports again. It came as a big surprise to the Ravndalens.
"They never led us on to believe that Bryce would play sports again," Milo said. "We were ecstatic, but guarded, too, because of the physicalness of the sport of hockey. As a dad, I was afraid to see him step back on the ice. But I also was very proud of his courage, desire and heart to continue playing the game he loves."
It didn't take long for Ravndalen to hit the ice. The day after he was cleared, Ravndalen tried out for the Section 8A Elite 2 team and made it.
He hasn't slowed down since.
Last season, Ravndalen piled up big numbers for Section 8A champion Warroad 66 points in 31 games. It was enough to convince St. Cloud State coach Bob Motzko to offer a scholarship. Ravndalen accepted.
"I always dreamed of playing in the WCHA," he said. "I thought I would never have the chance to play after the accident."
Now, he's a year or two away from achieving that dream. And when the puck drops Dec. 1 in Grand Forks to open Warroad's season, Ravndalen figures to be one of Section 8A's top players.
He'll play the season with the goal of a state championship and his dream of college hockey alive and well.
And he'll continue writing about his journey from time to time, trying to preach the lesson he's learned through the last 30 months to others.
"If you want it bad enough," he says, "it doesn't matter what happens. You can achieve it with hard work.
"When I think about the accident, I feel really lucky. I could have easily been part of that 98 percent. I'm thankful it didn't happen that way."
Reach Schlossman at 780-1129, (800) 477-6572 ext. 129 or bschlossman@gfherald.com.
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southernmnscout
- Posts: 568
- Joined: Wed Aug 09, 2006 3:08 pm