Concordia’s Rogers shines in rare two-sport combo of golf and racing
FORT WAYNE, Ind. (BVM) — Paige Rogers is a two-sport high school athlete. But she probably couldn’t play two sports that are more different from each other. Rogers is a golfer at Concordia Lutheran High School, but she has also recently taken up auto racing. Despite her two passions being so different, Rogers is excelling at both.
Rogers played numerous sports growing up, but she was always around the race track. Her step-dad raced throughout her youth, and gave Rogers the opportunity to try driving around the track when she was young. She was immediately hooked, and loves the competitiveness racing offers, but also the bonds she has formed within the racing community.
The 17-year-old had raced go-karts for several years in her youth, but last year was the first time she got her feet wet with competitive stock car racing. The 2020 season has been Rogers’ first official season of racing, and she has loved every minute of it.
“Obviously, the first race this year was a lot different for me,” Rogers said. “But we had pretty good success during the first part of the season. We’ve had our ups and downs but overall it’s been a really good year and we have put down some pretty good lap times and some good feature positions.”
Rogers races both late model sportsman and pro late model cars. Often, she can be found competing at Angola Motorsport Speedway or Corrigan Oil Speedway. Although the racing season in Indiana is about to wrap up, Rogers does plan to compete in Florida over the winter months.
Despite not getting her first win this season, Rogers is still happy with how her first official year on the track went overall.
“Obviously the goal is always to win,” Rogers said. “We didn’t get to this year which is a bummer, but there is such stiff competition out there. We’ve been close and we still achieved all of our other goals.”
The top finish on the season for Rogers was fifth. But it’s the experience she has gained on the track this year which has been invaluable. The 17-year-old believes she has improved significantly on not only knowing her car, but also what is going on around her on the track. She hopes in the coming years to ultimately become a more patient racer as well.
While racing has run in her family, Rogers takes pride in being a girl in what is a predominantly male sport. As she continues with her driving career — that she hopes to keep going for many years to come — Rogers believes what she is doing can serve as an example for other girls.
“I take a lot of pride in racing, especially since it is male-dominant,” Rogers said. “I want to be treated like every other person out there. I know there are some girls looking up to me and I hope I can pave the way for them and give them someone to look up to that they want to be like, not only on the racetrack but also outside of racing.”
While in high school, Rogers has also taken up golf. A few years ago at a local course, there was an offer to complete a set of tutorials and lessons to earn a set of clubs. Rogers jumped on the opportunity, and immediately grew a love for the sport.
Playing her first year of competitive golf as a freshman, Rogers had an admittedly tough season. But she came back as a sophomore to become one of the team’s best players, which she has carried over to her junior and senior seasons.
Rogers’ senior golf season has certainly endured some differences with COVID-19 guidelines in place. Still though, the 17-year-old has accomplished her goals in her final prep golf season, posting several rounds in the low 40s and even shooting in the upper 30s.
The golfer and racer is well aware that she competes in two sports that are on the opposite end of the spectrum. Although she is partial to racing since it is more of a family sport for her while also being quicker paced, Rogers is able to use a similar athletic mindset within both sports.
“In both sports I go out there to win and try to do the best I can do,” Rogers said. “They are different from the sense that you have to have a different mindset going into them, but obviously mental preparation for the both of them is the same.”
Rogers has plenty of people she looks up to within her athletic career, and has the support of family, friends, coaches, and teammates alike no matter which sport she is playing.
“I get tremendous support from my parents,” Rogers said. “But also my golf team will come watch me at the race track and support me there. I also get a lot of support from all the racers and crew members that I’ve had. They are there to support you and they don’t want to see anyone fail.”
But one of the biggest role models in her life is her father, who was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer two years ago. It has caused a predictably difficult time for the family, but it has also made Rogers more determined in her athletic career.
“It was pretty shocking and unexpected,” Rogers said. “He was always a pretty healthy guy. Sometimes it’s hard for him to get to the track but obviously once we are there we go 100%. He wants to be there because he knows I love it and when I’m on the track I’m trying to give it my all and show him I appreciate him.”
The Concordia senior will begin the next chapter of her life in college next fall. She is not sure where she will attend quite yet, but will look to stay in-state to be able to continue with her racing career. She hopes to study in the medical field, and will look for a future career in it someday.
While Rogers will continue to play golf casually, it is racing where her future goals lie. It is clear the 17-year-old has the right mindset to be successful, and there’s no telling how far her racing career could go.
“I still want to get that first win,” Rogers said. “But the dream is to make it to NASCAR. There’s also a lot of other things out there like ARCA and super late models. There’s a bunch of stuff we’d like to do to gain sponsorship and get our name out there as we work towards that big dream.”
