Roy Perkins Jr., a 16-year-old junior honor roll student at The Bishop’s School in La Jolla, was born without hands or feet, but he never let that prevent him from enjoying and experimenting with sports. Perkins, who lives in Del Mar with his family, ice-skated, played youth league soccer and basketball. He had only one family rule to follow from his parents, Roy Sr. and Jana: He had to try a sport at least once before he said he couldn’t do it.
He experimented with several sports, but he quickly took to swimming after learning how to swim for safety reasons when he was 12-years-old. Working with Alan Voisard and Alison Terry, he began to enter local swim competitions. The next step was participating in the San Diego Triathlon Challenge and later joining the swim club, Peninsula Aquatics San Diego. He worked with Don Watkinds and qualified for the 2004 U.S. Paralymics Swimming Trials in Minneapolis. Although it was his first major meet, he set American records and two Pan American records.
Perkins’ American and Pan American records soon were topped by a pair of world records he has set. Perkins recently returned from Durban, South Africa. He was competing for the U.S. Paralympic Swimming Elite Team at the International Paralympic World Swimming Championships. He set a world record when he won a gold medal in the 50-meter butterfly in a time of 36.67 seconds. He also set an American record when he won a bronze medal in the 200 IM.
In all, Perkins has managed to set 20-plus American records, five Pan American records and two world records.
But Perkins tries to make an impact in the Challenged sports arena in and out of the pool. Along with his parents, they have raised more than $75,000 for the Challenged Athletes Foundation that is based in San Diego.
Posted on January 22, 2007 by admin
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