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Community
February 7- February 20, 2015
www.SanTanSun.com
February 7 – February 20, 2015 www.SanTanSun.com
Chandler National Little League baseball readies for new season BY CURT BLAKENEY
The grass is freshly cut, the basepaths chalked and the infield dirt is packed tight. Spring is in the air and that means it’s time for baseball across the Valley. Nothing is as American as Little League Baseball and Chandler National Little League (CNLL) is gearing up for another baseball season on the diamonds across Chandler. The league is conducting baseball tryouts at Snedigar Park on Saturday, Feb. 7, and managers in four divisions— Double-A, Triple-A, Majors and Juniors— are scheduled to hold a players draft on Saturday, Feb. 14. Opening day is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Snedigar Sports Complex. With its track record of success, CNLL has become one of the powerhouse leagues in the state, establishing a rich tradition and setting expectations high for future generations. In 2013, CNLL’s South Majors All-Stars won the Arizona state title and advanced to the Little League West Regionals. Then in 2014, CNLL’s North Majors All-Stars won the state championship, and advanced to the Little League West Regionals. Chandler National teams have advanced to the Little League World Series twice—in 2003 and 2007—but have never won the championship. “Success builds on itself, and not just on the field,” says Danny Cristofano, CNLL’s director of sponsorships “It’s the partnership with the local community and City of Chandler that have sustained the league.
FORKS UP: Players for Chandler National Little League ham it up with Sparky before a game. Opening day for Little League Baseball is scheduled for March 21. STSN file photo
“Over the years, CNLL continues to reinvest in the youth of South Chandler through continuously growing and improving the CNLL for our players and families, providing Little League Baseball scholarships for less-fortunate families and supporting other leagues in our district. In addition, CNLL invests
Longtime educator brings knowledge to U of P BY SCOTT SHUMAKER
Chandler resident and longtime teacher Dr. Pam Roggeman says teaching high school English was the best job she’s ever had. While she misses working with teenagers, Roggeman is relishing the opportunity to mold the next generation of teachers as dean of academics for the University of Phoenix College of Education. “I came to the conclusion that I could affect more students on a greater scale being involved in helping to prepare teachers,” she says. It’s a role she’s ready to tackle after 17 years teaching high school outside of Tucson and 10 years in higher education.
Roggeman earned a doctorate in education from Arizona State University, but says her teaching philosophy is also strongly influenced by her father, Tom Roggeman, a former Chicago Bears player and football coach at the University of Arizona. “My dad originally played for the Bears, and he could have stayed and played with the Bears, but he had an opportunity to become a high school biology teacher,” she says. “He thought that was a tremendous way to be able to start a family.” Roggeman was born in South Bend, Indiana, but was raised in Tucson when see LONGTIME EDUCATOR page 5
substantially in helping the City of Chandler maintain and improve our fields at Snedigar and Nozomi parks with capital improvements like bleachers, shade structures, new synthetic pitching mounds and volunteer field maintenance.” Little League’s global impact is
profound: It’s played on more than 12,000 fields in every U.S. state and in 103 other countries on six continents. For many youngsters, Little League Baseball has become a rite of passage, contributing to its lasting popularity. Chandler is no exception; Little League Baseball is as popular as ever. “We continue to draw strong, steady interest,” says Doug Brewster, the president of the CNLL Board of Directors. “We have about 1,050 kids who participate in Little League Baseball each year. Our success is a testament to the volunteers, the board and the coaches.” It all starts with the volunteers, the parents of the children playing baseball. Sensationalized TV news reports and YouTube videos of dysfunctional parents who lose their cool during a game and make a fool of themselves by screaming at umps, managers or players have become all too common across the country. Brewster credits the strong dedication of CNLL parents for keeping those negative, unpleasant experiences to a minimum and keeping the experience positive for all kids involved. “Every league has their issues,” he says. “But our parents get involved. If you’re involved, then you understand the issues and see the big picture. If you just drop your kid off, and never get involved, then you won’t see the big picture. We absolutely encourage our parents to get involved.” see LITTLE
LEAGUE page 4
City manager set to retire June 1 BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
After serving the City of Chandler for 21 years, City Manager Rich Dlugas will retire June 1. “It really is a start of another chapter in my life,” says Dlugas, 61. “You go through the ‘working’ chapter and hopefully you put yourself at a point where you can enjoy your retirement and company of your wife and doing things. That’s what I’m ready to do.” Dlugas, who came to Chandler from Texas in 1994, has made an impact on the city, says Mayor Jay Tibshraeny. “Chandler is certainly a better place due to Rich’s work here, and I appreciate all that he has done for our community for the past 20 years,” Tibshraeny says.
“I understand that devoting one’s life to public service comes with many sacrifices, and his four decades of work in local government is to be truly commended. I wish him all the best for a well-deserved and happy retirement.” During his retirement, Dlugas plans to travel and enjoy time with his wife. “We’re ready to go out and enjoy our retirement while we have the health to do it,” he says. “We want to travel, which we hope to do in the first few years of our retirement.” The itinerary includes a visit to his wife’s family home in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula this summer. They are also planning to travel to Hawaii, Alaska and Europe in the coming years.
F E AT U R E STO R I E S CUSD brags of successes during report presentation . . . . . . . community . . . . . . . . . . . Page 8 Let’s Grow Studio offers fitness classes for kids and families . . business . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 19 Kids Helping Kids makes holiday special for two families . . . . youth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 27 Chandler entrepreneur goes nitro on craft beers . . . . . . . . . . neighbors . . . . . . . . . . . Page 45 Eat Your Art Out for the CCA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Page 57
SANTAN FAMILY FUN . . . . . . . . . . . . . Center Section
see CITY MANAGER page 5
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