Coach Roach Enters Hall of Fame

District 18 Athletic Director Rob Roach, pictured above, was inducted into the CGSCA Hall of Fame and Lyme-Old Lyme High School (LOLHS) junior Brittany Cowee was presented with the organization’s 2008 Adversity Award.

Don Desautels (pictured below), varsity coach of the girl’s high school soccer team, introduced Roach to the large audience describing him as a “pioneer” in the world of girls’ soccer.  Prior to this role, however, Roach had excelled in his own soccer career scoring the winning goal for his Old Lyme High School team in its first state championship in 1966 and, while at St. Anselm College, earning NSCAA Division II All-American honors in 1971.

Desautels noted that Roach started his teaching career in Old Lyme in 1975 and introduced the girls’ soccer program the same year.  Roach’s coaching career continued until 1990 and during that time his team was runner-up in the state finals in 1985 and won the All-Shoreline Conference in 1984, 1988 and 1990.

Roach was appointed Athletic Director in 1990, a position he still holds.  Commenting on all the other roles he fills, Desautels noted that, apart from being a behavioral science teacher, “He’s a sounding board for parents who call him, a mentor for kids, and even served as Interim Assistant Principal recently.” Concluding with a chuckle, Desautels said, “Aside from being First Selectman, he’s done it all.”

Accepting his award, Roach said, “I’m honored to be the oldest [inductee] and flattered you’ve gone back so far.”   He added that he believes passionately in the importance of sports for students, saying, “We want kids to have meaningful programs to be involved in.”  Roach (above) then confessed he was very nervous as he spoke, not from the event, but due to the fact the Giants were playing the Eagles that afternoon in the Superbowl playoffs!

Commending and thanking his wife Maryanne, pictured with him above, for her support throughout the years, Roach told the story of how he announced to her one day that he had given a last minute invitation to the whole soccer team to join him for breakfast at his home the next day.  It transpired that she, unbeknown to him, had planned a surprise 40th birthday party him the same evening – also at his home.  Unfazed, she hosted both events with finesse.

Later in the proceedings, New London Day sports reporter Vicki Fulkerson (above, right) went to the podium to introduce Brittany Cowee (left).  Fulkerson had interviewed Cowee during the previous soccer season and her article had brought Cowee’s health situation to the attention of CGSCA officials.  Cowee was fitted with a heart pacemaker last summer but, in Fulkerson’s words, “was playing soccer in spite of it.”

Fulkerson admitted she had, “worried this was going to be a tough interview with a player I didn’t really know that well.”  Her concern was unwarranted since their conversation, “was punctuated with laughter,” and she had concluded, “This wasn’t a case of a kid feeling sorry for herself.  This was clearly a kid with a great sense of appreciation.  For life.  For the support of her parents … For the gift of being able to still grace a soccer field.”

Concluding by describing her as, “A great inspiration both on the soccer field and off it,” Fulkerson handed the Adversity Award to Cowee, who then gave a polished speech (above) in response, thanking her coaches, “for putting up with me,” her parents Cindy and Brian (pictured below) and teammates, and congratulating all the other All-State award winners.

Apart from Cowee, the other two girls who received girls’ soccer All-State honors from Old Lyme were Catherine Logan and Tory McKnight.

2008 Girls’ Soccer All-State Award winners from Old Lyme are (from left to right) Brittany Cowee, Catherine Logan and Tory McKnight with their high school soccer team coach Don Desautels.