Aldine ISD Fall 2024

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EISENHOWER TRACK + FIELD

The 4II \\ By Matthew Ogle

Rogers Projected to Become First Ike Runner to Reach State

OVER THE COURSE OF THE 2023 FALL SEASON, ONE ATHLETE EMERGED ONTO THE ALDINE ISD CROSS COUNTRY SCENE. Despite only being a freshman, Eisenhower’s Addison Rogers would go on to take the district by storm. She claimed the gold medal with a final time of 20:35 in the 5K race, before putting up a respectable performance in her Region II-6A debut. According to coach Dan Bui, she is “an extraordinary talent who is going to figure out the pressure of what it takes to advance to State, as both a cross country and track athlete”. We caught up with Rogers to get inside her head as she prepares to take that next step towards her ultimate goal. VYPE: Considering the high expectations your coaches have for you, what is the mindset as you approach this season? ROGERS: “It makes me want to work harder, knowing that people are rooting for me. I want to defend my district title and having these people backing me works as great motivation.” VYPE: Cross country can be a very difficult sport to compete in. What made you pursue the sport, and what has kept you in the race for this long? ROGERS: “I initially joined so I could be more conditioned for the track season. My coach thought that I could go really far in the sport, so I’ve stuck with it from there.” VYPE: What compels you to compete in both sports throughout the school year? ROGERS: “It starts with my family, since they’ve always encouraged me. Also, when I see that my times keep dropping or I set a PR, my competitive side really kicks in and makes me want to keep improving.” VYPE: Do you have any siblings? Are they athletes too? ROGERS: “I have four other siblings, and I’m the second-youngest next to my twin. I’m actually the only current athlete in the group. I’m the one who really likes to compete like that.” VYPE: You’re still a sophomore, so you have plenty of high school left. Do you have an idea of what you might want to do in the future after you graduate? ROGERS: “I want to be a surgeon. I also want to go to a school for track too – maybe LSU or Arkansas. But for a career, that’s been one of the paths I’ve been thinking about. Mainly for the money.”

Addison Rogers

ALDINE ISD \\ 23

vype.com \\ FALL 2024 \\