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Central Coast stories of the year: Mr. Rogers’ golden neighborhood

By Kenny Cress/Sports Writer

The favored United States tandem of Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhaussser began their 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China by losing to a longshot duo from Latvia in the first round of the men’s beach volleyball tournament.

They ended their Games with their expected gold medal. That story ranks as number two of the Lee Central Coast Newspapers’ Top 10 sports stories of the year.

After winning that gold, Rogers and Dalhausser were understandably figuratively floating on air for awhile.

“It’s kind of hard to focus after you’ve accomplished your lifelong dream,” Solvang resident Rogers, 35, said shortly after he and Ventura resident Dalhausser took the gold.

They basked in their glory for a short time and then were back at it on the AVP Men’s Tour.

“Phil and I have been on the phone, we’ve practiced and we’re ready to go,” the 6-2 Rogers said shortly before he and Dalhausser embarked on what was to be another successful AVP tour run for the pair last fall.

The duo won tournaments at Cincinnati, Santa Barbara and Manhattan Beach. The duo finished second in another post-Beijing tournament.

According to an Associated Press report, Rogers was one of the 150 members of the U.S. Olympic Team, including gold medalists Stephanie Brown Trafton (Arroyo Grande High School and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo resident), Michael Phelps, Nastia Liukin, Kobe Bryant, Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh for a taping of the Oprah show.

The live version of the show kicked off talk show host Oprah Winfrey’s 23rd season, and honored U.S. Olympians.

Rogers rebounded from his 2004 disappointment. He and partner Sean Scott were ranked fourth in the world, but they were beaten out for the two U.S. Olympic berths for the Athens Games. Rogers was an alternate but did not play.

Backyard drills helped Rogers win at Beijing.

There is no beach sand in Solvang, so Rogers had some imported. He wanted to build a backyard court for himself, his wife Melissa and their children, Hannah and Nate. Thus, Rogers had sand brought in. A lot of sand.

“It ended up being 12 semi-truck loads,” Rogers said in an interview last summer. “It cost $10,000.

“It has been a lot of fun for us, and it helps me with practicing the things I need to do. It’s a good thing to have.”

Rogers, nicknamed “The Professor,” has won more than $1 million in career prize money on tour. He had earned nearly $260,000 in 2008 before the Beijing Games.

He’s earned numerous tour awards, and he’s been the AVP’s Defensive Player of the Year from 2004-7.

The UC Santa Barbara graduate earned a degree in religious studies with a minor in coaching. While he was at UCSB, Rogers was an All-American in 1995 and ‘96.

He is second on the school’s career assists (4,831) and digs (783) lists.

Rogers received a big welcome home from well-wishers when his flight back from the Olympics landed at the Santa Barbara Airport. The town of Solvang held a Todd Rogers Appreciation Night. He and Dalhausser were grand marshals at the Christmas parade in Solvang this year.

Once he had more spare time, Rogers looked toward spending much of the school year as he has in the past.

That is, the 6-foot-2-inch Olympic gold medalist figured to be crammed behind an elementary school child’s desk doing volunteer work.

“He volunteered a lot in my wife’s classroom last year,” Santa Ynez High School volleyball coach Chip Fenenga said earlier this year.

“He spends a lot of time with kids. He runs a camp for kids. He’s very approachable.”

Fenenga’s wife, Julene, is a teacher at Solvang Elementary School.

Julene Fenenga said, “Every year (Todd) volunteers in his kids’ classrooms. His daughter, Hannah, was in my third grade class last year.

“He’d come in every week and sit at a tiny little table with these tiny little chairs.

“He’s just a really good dad who cares about kids. He’s a really good guy.”

Melissa Rogers played volleyball for Santa Ynez High School. Chip Fenenga said that Melissa stepped in and helped coach the girls program as he was battling cancer.

“They’re both wonderful about volunteering and giving their time,” Chip Fenenga said.

When Rogers is not on tour, attending an event in his hometown or tending to his garden — well, chances are, you can find him sitting behind a child’s table volunteering in the classroom.

kcress@syvnews.com