Delainee Rogers will be heading to Canadore College this fall in North Bay. (Submitted Photo/Stefanie Rogers)

By Julia Lovett-Squires

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Feb 26, 2024 | 2:47 PM

Delainee Rogers first developed a love for volleyball in Grade 6.

“My homeroom teacher wanted to start a team; he saw potential in my classmates and I,” she said, noting they started a junior team.

Now, the girl from Edam will be heading to North Bay, Ontario to play for the Canadore College Panthers this fall after signing on earlier this month.

“I am feeling good. It’s a little overwhelming for sure but I am very excited that been able to experience this and live out one of my dreams,” she said.

Growing up, Rogers had her feet in completely different shoes: Ghillies – used in highland dance – and figure skates. That initial training on the ice and on the stage has served her well now that she’s on the volleyball court.

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“I am a middle, which is very much tempo and timing-based, so to be able to just read the setter and read the ball, my timing is very much there because of the dance and figure skating aspect,” she said.

As an athlete, Rogers said she has seen the benefits personally and encourages anyone in sport and beyond to take a few classes.

“You work muscles that you have never worked before and it is not an easy task sometimes,” she said.

According to Rogers, her coaches have told her that she is fast for her team position, and due to her years as a dancer, it has given her the stamina she needs to be successful on the court.

“Highland dance is a lot of jumping over and over again, repetitiveness and so that built my vertical as a kid, which has helped me at being a middle,” she said.

“I am a shorter middle – being six-foot in shoes – I am still a shorter middle so, having the vertical is great and knowing where my arms are,” added Rogers referring to the body awareness and strength that her dance training has given her.

As the result of her experience being physically active, it also helped guide her decision when it came to school. A teammate of hers from her current team, 18U Rustlers Gold of the Rustlers Volleyball Club, had also signed with Canadore and suggested she join.

“Once I reached out to the coach, she got back to me, we had an interview and I flew out to North Bay to look at the school and that is where I did a practice with the team to see how well I fit in with that group of girls,” she said.

The dancer and volleyball player said when not in practice or in training, she will be a part of the two-year Occupational Therapy Assistant and Physiotherapist Assistant program at the college. It’s quite a different life she was envisioning. Once upon a time, Rogers had her sights set on being a teacher.

“Then I spent two weeks in a walking boot and four weeks on crutches and I just like being a part of that and learning how to take care of my own body brought me joy,” she said.

By learning proper healing techniques following her own injuries, the future college student wanted to devote her life to helping others. The number one rule she swears by: to help avoid dangerous or potentially career ending situations, athletes of all stripes must warm up.

“Having that knowledge and knowing how it feels has let me learn from experience.”

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julia.lovettsquires@pattisonmedia.com

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