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Pat Hancock glanced down at the “Coach Rog” insignia as he began a speech about the person for whom the boat was named.
He then reminisced for a few minutes, regaling the audience with stories describing the qualities that made his former colleague an astute young coach.
Hancock established the Wappingers crew program but, he posited, it was Kerri Roger who elevated it and ushered them into the spotlight.
She “had the foresight” to reconfigure the lineup in 2007, he said, drawing from a girls varsity eight boat to create a dominant lightweight 4 crew.
Roger then led that group to a bronze medal in the state tournament before going on to place fourth in the scholastic national championships. Both of those accomplishments were firsts for what was then an upstart program just getting untracked.
Kerri Roger: John Jay High School mourns the death of beloved teacher and coach
Not forgotten: John Jay field hockey hosts Kerri Roger game, honoring beloved former coach
'Play for Conrad': Wappingers honors lacrosse coach who died of cancer in fundraiser games
But, far greater than the nautical knowledge was Roger’s innate ability to connect with others and an unwavering willingness to assist. That, loved ones said, is the true legacy of the Poughkeepsie native.
“She got along with everyone and was great at getting everyone to get along with each other,” said Sarah Ruvo, one of Rogers’ former pupils who coaches the team. “She had a profound impact on my life and was an inspiration to a lot of people. My admiration of her is what led me into coaching.”
Rogers’ personality made her beloved as a teacher and coach, and those sentiments have been echoed since the 44-year-old succumbed last year to esophageal cancer.
It’s why the boat dedication ceremony last Saturday was so poignant as Wappingers debuted its new 60-foot shell with “Coach Kerri Roger” emblazoned in blue on either side. The team also framed her old team jacket and has it on display in the Hudson River Rowing Association boathouse in Poughkeepsie.
“It was heartwarming,” said Robin Roger McKenzie, Kerri’s younger sister who was among about 50 relatives and rowers who braved the bad weather to attend.
“She didn’t have children, but she loved kids,” her sister continued. “The athletes she coached were like her kids. So, to see how much of a positive impact she had on the community and how much they cared about her, it’s awesome.”
Robin Roger McKenzie, who traveled from Ithaca, was accompanied to the ceremony by her husband Charles McKenzie and their son, Charlie. They were joined by her brother John Roger, his wife Tracy, and their children Noah and Abigail.
Finding ways to honor Kerri Roger’s memory within the program and throughout the school district was imperative, Wappingers coach Matt Stufano said after her passing last January.
The team spearheaded a fundraiser that drew $34,000 for the purchase of the customized Vespoli eight-seat boat. That shell will be used by their girls varsity 8 crew, whose first competition will be the WARS Regatta on April 26.
“It’s hard to overstate how important Kerri was to getting the program off the ground,” said Stufano, another former Wappingers rower. “This is something we needed to do to honor a great person and our history.”
Roger also coached the John Jay-East Fishkill field hockey team, and they hosted district rival Roy C. Ketcham for a memorial game in her honor last September. Proceeds from that event were donated to the school’s Kerri Roger Memorial Scholarship.
“It was a nice way to celebrate what Kerri achieved and who she was,” Robin Roger McKenzie said. “We’ve done quite a bit of grieving with our mom passing not long before our sister. So, to have a positive day in her memory was incredibly meaningful to our family.”
Kerri Roger grew up in a close-knit family that was heavily into sports. She and each of her three siblings were athletes at John Jay High School. In fact, that now extends to her niece and nephew. Noah won a state title with the Rhinebeck boys soccer team in 2019, and Abigail was part of the Rhinebeck crew that won a Hudson Valley Rowing League championship last spring.
After graduating high school in 1997, Kerri Roger went on to SUNY Geneseo, where she majored in mathematics and competed on a club rowing team that her brother, John, helped establish years earlier.
She later returned to John Jay to teach and became the first girls rowing coach of the burgeoning Wappingers crew team.
At the funeral last year, a group of former rowers held oars overhead, forming a roof under which her casket passed while exiting the church. That gesture, Robin Roger McKenzie said, “gave me chills.”
“It was snowing on the day of the funeral,” Ruvo recalled, “and it snowed again, in April, for this. It felt like a sign that she’s watching over us.”
Stephen Haynes: [email protected]; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Crew: Honoring coach Kerri Roger posthumously, Wappingers dedicates boat
Continue reading...
He then reminisced for a few minutes, regaling the audience with stories describing the qualities that made his former colleague an astute young coach.
Hancock established the Wappingers crew program but, he posited, it was Kerri Roger who elevated it and ushered them into the spotlight.
You must be registered for see images attach
She “had the foresight” to reconfigure the lineup in 2007, he said, drawing from a girls varsity eight boat to create a dominant lightweight 4 crew.
Roger then led that group to a bronze medal in the state tournament before going on to place fourth in the scholastic national championships. Both of those accomplishments were firsts for what was then an upstart program just getting untracked.
Kerri Roger: John Jay High School mourns the death of beloved teacher and coach
Not forgotten: John Jay field hockey hosts Kerri Roger game, honoring beloved former coach
'Play for Conrad': Wappingers honors lacrosse coach who died of cancer in fundraiser games
But, far greater than the nautical knowledge was Roger’s innate ability to connect with others and an unwavering willingness to assist. That, loved ones said, is the true legacy of the Poughkeepsie native.
You must be registered for see images attach
“She got along with everyone and was great at getting everyone to get along with each other,” said Sarah Ruvo, one of Rogers’ former pupils who coaches the team. “She had a profound impact on my life and was an inspiration to a lot of people. My admiration of her is what led me into coaching.”
Rogers’ personality made her beloved as a teacher and coach, and those sentiments have been echoed since the 44-year-old succumbed last year to esophageal cancer.
It’s why the boat dedication ceremony last Saturday was so poignant as Wappingers debuted its new 60-foot shell with “Coach Kerri Roger” emblazoned in blue on either side. The team also framed her old team jacket and has it on display in the Hudson River Rowing Association boathouse in Poughkeepsie.
You must be registered for see images attach
“It was heartwarming,” said Robin Roger McKenzie, Kerri’s younger sister who was among about 50 relatives and rowers who braved the bad weather to attend.
“She didn’t have children, but she loved kids,” her sister continued. “The athletes she coached were like her kids. So, to see how much of a positive impact she had on the community and how much they cared about her, it’s awesome.”
Robin Roger McKenzie, who traveled from Ithaca, was accompanied to the ceremony by her husband Charles McKenzie and their son, Charlie. They were joined by her brother John Roger, his wife Tracy, and their children Noah and Abigail.
You must be registered for see images attach
Finding ways to honor Kerri Roger’s memory within the program and throughout the school district was imperative, Wappingers coach Matt Stufano said after her passing last January.
The team spearheaded a fundraiser that drew $34,000 for the purchase of the customized Vespoli eight-seat boat. That shell will be used by their girls varsity 8 crew, whose first competition will be the WARS Regatta on April 26.
“It’s hard to overstate how important Kerri was to getting the program off the ground,” said Stufano, another former Wappingers rower. “This is something we needed to do to honor a great person and our history.”
You must be registered for see images attach
Roger also coached the John Jay-East Fishkill field hockey team, and they hosted district rival Roy C. Ketcham for a memorial game in her honor last September. Proceeds from that event were donated to the school’s Kerri Roger Memorial Scholarship.
“It was a nice way to celebrate what Kerri achieved and who she was,” Robin Roger McKenzie said. “We’ve done quite a bit of grieving with our mom passing not long before our sister. So, to have a positive day in her memory was incredibly meaningful to our family.”
Kerri Roger grew up in a close-knit family that was heavily into sports. She and each of her three siblings were athletes at John Jay High School. In fact, that now extends to her niece and nephew. Noah won a state title with the Rhinebeck boys soccer team in 2019, and Abigail was part of the Rhinebeck crew that won a Hudson Valley Rowing League championship last spring.
You must be registered for see images attach
After graduating high school in 1997, Kerri Roger went on to SUNY Geneseo, where she majored in mathematics and competed on a club rowing team that her brother, John, helped establish years earlier.
She later returned to John Jay to teach and became the first girls rowing coach of the burgeoning Wappingers crew team.
At the funeral last year, a group of former rowers held oars overhead, forming a roof under which her casket passed while exiting the church. That gesture, Robin Roger McKenzie said, “gave me chills.”
“It was snowing on the day of the funeral,” Ruvo recalled, “and it snowed again, in April, for this. It felt like a sign that she’s watching over us.”
Stephen Haynes: [email protected]; 845-437-4826; Twitter: @StephenHaynes4
This article originally appeared on Poughkeepsie Journal: Crew: Honoring coach Kerri Roger posthumously, Wappingers dedicates boat
Continue reading...
