Easy Does It
In academics or athletics, Rogers makes everything look routine
It’s not easy to excel in three sports and soar academically at the same time. Or, is it?
Allison Rogers of Parkers Chapel said it’s not as hard as some people may think.
“My grades are just kind of, what I would call average or what should be average,” Rogers said. “I mean, I didn’t put a lot of effort into the grades so I figure, everybody should have those.”
Rogers earned a 3.8913 grade point average while competing in tennis, basketball and softball. Perhaps competing wasn’t a strong-enough word. Rogers teamed with Bailey Norwood to win the 2A State championship in doubles tennis. In her career, Rogers has two doubles state championships and two more team state championship rings. She was a starting guard on the Lady Trojans’ basketball team that advanced to the regional tournament. In softball, she was the starting shortstop and lead-off hitter for the 2A state semifinalist.
A natural athlete, playing sports was never a chore for Rogers. She’d never picked up a tennis racquet as a freshman.
“It was pretty amazing. I didn’t really know anything about it. I just kind of got thrown out there. Coach (Casey) Rapp was like, ‘Allison, come out and play tennis. Here’s a racquet. Let’s go.’ As a freshman I ended up playing and I played ever since,” said Rogers, who joined the basketball team last year and made an immediate impact despite a lack of experience or skills.
“O.K., honestly, that was me being kind of lazy. I didn’t really want to do off-season workouts for softball. I was like, I’ll join basketball,” she said. “I really don’t have a love for basketball. It was fun and I loved the games and stuff. But, it was always just a little too serious for me. It was not my
thing. When I do something, I always try to give it my best effort. So, even though I didn’t love it, I was still going to put my all into it.”
A sport she did love was softball, where she excelled all over the field. A lead-off, left-handed batter with speed and power, she displayed range and a strong arm in centerfield before moving to shortstop.
“I’ve played it ever since I was little,” said Rogers. “Tennis is fun and all but softball is where my heart is. I like the team and the bonds we all have and the chemistry.”
As good as Rogers was on the softball field, she probably would’ve excelled at whatever sport she tried. She said academics are the same way.
“I’ve never really tried to be a scholar. It just kind of comes easy, too,” said Rogers, who plans to attend Louisiana Tech and major in animal science. She hopes to go to graduate school and eventually become a veterinarian.
“Ever since I was little. I always grew up around animals,” she said. “We kind of live on a farm, I guess you could say, horses, chickens and dogs. I have a love for animals, sometimes more than people.”
Her pets include two horses, 17 chickens and a dog, an Australian Shepherd named Waylon.
“It’s kind of a country thing, country music,” she explained. “He’s a herdin’ dog. It’s a cowboy thing.”
Rogers wore cowboy boots and jeans to her photo shoot, prompting the question. Cowgirl?
“Kind of but my dad doesn’t think so,” she said with a smile. “My dad says I’m too lazy to be one.”
It’s a criticism she’s heard before and doesn’t fight. When asked why she never held a class officer position, she answered, “That’s kind of extra work that I really didn’t want to get into.”
She said her favorite subject is math.
“It’s kind of easy for me. I took three math classes my senior year. I’ve always been good at it,” said Rogers, who flashed a sense of humor when discussing her least-favorite class.
“Uh, English. O.K., I can’t really write too well. That’s a big problem. My grammar is not good, either.”
Perhaps lazy wasn’t the accurate way to describe Rogers. The girl is just chill.
At the state tennis tournament, in the championship match, Rogers’ teammate took over calling the lines on whether opponents’ shots were in or out after the competition turned contentious. “I never really paid much attention to the lines. If it was close, I was going to play it. It’s a state match. Just see who’s better,” said Rogers, who admitted she’s the same way in life. She doesn’t stress the small stuff.
“I guess I let stuff slide a little bit. I’m kind of go with the flow. I just cruise through life a little bit,” she said with a shrug.
Rogers said she knows she won’t be able to cruise and become a veterinarian. “I’ll probably have to put a lot more focus into it because it’s going to be hard. It’s like eight years of school. It’s going to take a long time,” she said. “I have to keep my head on straight. I do like to have fun every now and then so I do get distracted. But, I always seem to get my head back on.”
Rogers credited her mother for putting her on the right track academically. She gets her chill from her father.
“To get the good grades was definitely my mom because she was a straight-A student. She was like, ‘Allison, you’ve got to have all A’s.’ And, if I didn’t get all A’s, I was in trouble for it. She definitely pushed me to get good grades,” said Rogers.
“My dad is my favorite person. I love my dad. He’s more like me. He likes to be outside, goes to the river, goofy, hangs out with friends all the time. My mom is a little more focused and refined, I guess you could say.”