Mike Rogers: Twins Staff Coach
Personal Info:
Born in Charlotte, North Carolina. Joined the Twins organization in January 2011. Favorite teams are Real Salt Lake, Ajax of Amsterdam, and the US National Teams. Favorite players are Tab Ramos, Dennis Bergkamp, and Shannon MacMillan. Best moment while at Twins is getting the 95 Twins promoted in my first season with them.
Coaching Education:
USSF National ‘C’ License
Coach Experience:
Wesleyan Christian Academy staff - 1999-2004
PSA/PTFC - 1999-2007
CUFC - 2007-2008
NMSC - 2008
TCYSA – 2011-Present
TCYSA - Director of Recreation and Twins Development Program - 2011-Present
Over 3 dozen camps
Playing Experience:
Jamestown Admirals
PSA Stars
Southwest Guilford
Awards:
PSA team Captain
Education:
High Point University
Getting to know Twins Coach Mike Rogers......................................
How old/young were you when you decided to coach?
I decided to coach when I was 18.
How did you get into coaching?
I got into coaching by accident. My aunt was a guidance counselor at a school in need of a coach for the women`s season and I was tracked down to fill the roll. We had a blast together and I became hooked!
What do you like about coaching?
I like a lot of things, but I really love watching a passion for the game grow from the players.
What has been your greatest coaching moment?
Without a doubt, my greatest coaching moment was winning a state cup semifinal 6 or 7 years ago. We lost in the final, but it didn`t matter much. We had a boy with a heart condition who we knew wouldn`t be able to play soccer any more after the tournament was over. We kept advancing and advancing and the boy himself scored the game winner late in the semifinal. The players had no clue of his condition, but the adults related to our team who knew bawled our eyes out through the final whistle. That moment will never be beaten for me, even if I were to win the state cup.
What was your greatest moment as an athlete?
I was a very active goalkeeper who still took some of his team`s free kicks. In a tournament final in Wilmington, I both scored and had a shut out in our championship win.
When you stop coaching one day, what will you most want to be remembered for by the athletes you have coached?
I want to be remembered for my passion for the game and desire to see players grow as players and even more so as people.
What aspects of sports have you learned to appreciate since you have been a coach rather than an athlete?
It takes so many things to make the soccer boat sail. I am so grateful to all of the volunteers, office workers, directors, etc for all that they do so we can try to create the best environment we can for the players. You never think about it all as a player.
