By: Paul Schwartz – Record Sports Department
It’s four days after she rewrote the Bergen County, New Jersey and national track and field record book and Jenna Rogers can’t stop smiling or laughing.
“It still hasn’t sunk in and I’m not sure it ever will,’’ said Rogers, thinking of her spectacular Sunday at the New Balance Nationals, where she cleared 6 feet, ¾ inches to become the New Balance Outdoor Nationals champion, nearly five inches higher than her previous best. “I came back to school Tuesday and everyone was coming up to me and congratulating me – including people I didn’t even know. It’s really boosted my confidence.’’
It’s hard to think that Rogers, a freshman who just celebrated her 15th birthday on April 18, needs a boost of confidence.
After all, she’s been a versatile and well recognized athlete, it seems, almost from the day she was born.
“I can’t remember a time when I didn’t play sports,’’ said Rogers, the Records Girls Field Athlete of the Year.
Mom, Lorianne Nangle Rogers played basketball and volleyball at SW Minnesota State and dad, Dennis, was a basketball and baseball star at Rutherford before concentrating on hoops at Trenton State (now the College of New Jersey.
With mom coaching volleyball clinics in town, and big sister Jessica (now playing basketball at the University of Rhode Island), Jenna starting tagging along at a young age and quickly excelled in volleyball and basketball. Then at age 11, she decided to try track and field.
“I started running at Rutherford Rec. because I was also racing other kids and beating them and my first rec. coach thought I’d make a good high jumper, so she had me practice jumping on my couch,’’ said Rogers. “My first meet was a regional meet up in Upstate New York and I think I made 4-2.
Rogers was hooked. Working with Luke Russell, a 7-3 high jumper who lived in town, she began improving rapidly, clearing five feet as a 12 year old and travelling to summer meets as part of the Junior Olympics program.
“I think that going travelling was part of the attraction, ‘’ said Rogers, who competed in national age group competitions in Jacksonville, Florida and Sacramento, California, placing third last summer at 5-7 ¾. “But I really enjoy doing an individual sport as well as the team sports I’m doing.’’
Russell coached her until last summer, when he moved to California. Now Rogers has a club coach (Anthony Scanella), a high school coach (Curtis Orsi) and a supportive mom and dad who have helped her to unexpected heights.
Rogers started on the Rutherford volleyball team as a freshman and helped the Bulldogs share an NJIC divisional title. And she skipped the indoor season to play club volleyball with team Side Out of Fairfield, N.J.
“I’m really starting to fall in love with volleyball too,’’ said Rogers.
So even though she now holds the Bergen County high jump record (breaking the 19-year old mark of Cheryl Burdick of Ramsey) at 5-10, the New Jersey record (breaking the 34-year-old mark of Tatiana Smolin of Randolph) at 5-11 and the national freshman class record (breaking the four year old mark set by 2016 Olympian Vashti Cunningham) at 6-0 ¼, Rogers is still going to do both sports.
“I want to keep having fun,’’ said Rogers, who’ll play in a couple of beach volleyball tournaments this summer but skip summer track for the first time in four years. “And this is fun.’’
Six feet ¾ inch of fun.
