Chelsea Piers Connecticut is pleased to announce that it has partnered with three world-renowned female athletes to run sport-specific summer camps for children.  Soccer phenomenon Kristine Lilly will offer the Kristine Lilly Soccer Academy, hockey great Angela Ruggiero will offer the Angela Ruggiero Hockey School, and Squash legend Natalie Grainger will run summer-long squash camps at Chelsea Piers Connecticut.

Former Olympian, Ruggiero will kick-off Chelsea Piers Connecticut summer camp with a week-long ice hockey camp July 9-13.  The full-day camp will be open to girls ages 6 to 14.  Ruggiero’s teaching philosophy is simple—every player is different and is to be treated as an individual. Each player will be exposed to the different aspects of their respective positions and will be encouraged to incorporate the skills learned into their own style of play.

Lilly brings the Kristine Lilly Soccer Academy (KLSA) to Chelsea Piers Connecticut, where she will coach a one-week KLSA camp August 6 -10.  The full-day camp will be open to boys and girls ages 7 to 13.  KLSA camps are dedicated to providing campers with an opportunity to develop as individual players within a disciplined and unselfish environment.  The goal is to encourage players to respect the integrity of the game while continuing to nurture their love for soccer.  Sessions will focus on skill development, field awareness and team play.  KLSA at Chelsea Piers will be divided into two age/skill groupings to allow for maximum learning.  Campers will also benefit from off-field cross-training and daily recreational activities. Kristine and an expert staff of coaches will lead all soccer instruction to offer an unparalleled soccer experience.

Grainger will run weekly Racquets Camps in addition to Elite and High Performance Squash Camps.  Players that have a U.S. Squash National ranking or play on their school squash teams can register for intensive one-week sessions designed to help players improve their game through basic technique and drilling skills, fitness development, and fun match play. Coaches provide the same advanced coaching and training techniques that elite level pros use to help players succeed.  Grainger will lend her coaching and training skills to all squash and racquets camps throughout the summer.

“The facilities at Chelsea Piers Connecticut are ideal for training children in soccer,” commented Lilly.  “The indoor fields, off-field cross training capabilities and recreational periods allow for a comprehensive, full-day program that can cater to every level of soccer player.”

“Having retired from hockey this year, I am thrilled to be able to coach girls in hockey – a sport that has given me so much,” commented Ruggiero.  “The facilities and mission of Chelsea Piers Connecticut are exactly the sort of thing that I am excited to get involved with.”

“The squash facility will be the best in the area, and I am so excited to further develop the robust squash community in Fairfield County. Our summer camps will provide an opportunity for young players to improve while being part of a much greater multi-sport program,” commented Grainger.

“This collection of female athletes – Kristine, Angela and Natalie – are some of the very best their sports have ever seen,” commented Mollie Marcoux, Executive Director, Chelsea Piers Connecticut.  “We could not be more excited to offer local female athletes this truly unique camp opportunity.  All three women are not only among the world’s most talented, but they are all ambassadors for their respective sports and most importantly, they are ideal role models for young athletes.”
ANGELA RUGGIERO

Four-time US Olympic Ice Hockey Player Angela Ruggiero grew up in Los Angeles, California and Harper Woods, Michigan. She graduated Cum Laude from Harvard University, where she was an NCAA First Team Academic All-American as well as one of the top eight student athletes in the entire NCAA in 2004.  A star player on the U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey Team, Angela won a Gold medal in 1998, a Silver medal in 2002, a Bronze medal in 2006, and another Silver medal at the 2010 Olympics. She was the first woman non-goalie to play professional men’s hockey in North America, playing for the Tulsa Oilers alongside her brother, Bill, and also earning a place in the Hockey Hall of Fame as the first brother-sister duo to play pro hockey together.

In 2010 Angela was elected to a highly regarded position as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athletes’ Commission.  In addition, Angela serves as a board member on the United States Olympic Committee.

KRISTINE LILLY

Lilly grew up in Wilton, CT, graduating from Wilton High School in 1989.  She went on to play at University of North Carolina, winning four national titles during her four years at the University.  She secured a spot on the U.S. Women’s National Team while still in high school and was a member of the team for 24 years.  Lilly retired on Jan. 5, 2011, as the world’s all time appearance leader with 352 caps.  She hung up her boots at age 39 as arguably the game’s most accomplished player.  Lilly scored 130 goals in her career and played in five FIFA Women’s World Cups (the only woman to do so) and three Olympic Games, helping the USA win four of those tournaments.  She currently resides in Wilton, CT, with her husband and two young children.

NATALIE GRAINGER

Grainger, Chelsea Piers Connecticut’s Racquets Director, is the current #1 women’s squash player in the United States.  Grainger has been at the top of the sport since she began competing in 1994 as the youngest player selected for the South African National Team.  In 2000 Grainger became one of the top 10 players in the world and notched the #1 spot in 2003.  Grainger has won 22 titles on the WISPA Tour.  She is a three-time US Open Champion, five-time US National Champion, a two-time National Doubles Champion, and a Pan American Games Gold Medalist.  Grainger still competes for the United States in World Team Championships and Pan American Games.   Off the court, Grainger served as the President of WISPA for eight years, retiring from that position in 2011.  She also is a US National Coach and member of the board of Squash Haven, an inner-city youth enrichment program operated at Yale University.   Grainger resides in Greenwich, CT, with her husband.

ABOUT CHELSEA PIERS CONNECTICUT

Chelsea Piers Connecticut (CPCT) is a 400,000-sq-ft state-of-the-art sports and recreation facility located in Stamford, CT, just off I-95 at Exit 9. Slated to open in July 2012, Chelsea Piers Connecticut will consist of seven core sports facilities encompassing more than 18 sports.

• The Rinks – Twin rink skating facility for ice hockey and figure skating
• Aquatics Center – Olympic-sized pool, warm water instructional and exercise pool, and 6,000 sq-ft water play area featuring three giant slides
• Gymnastics Training Center – 15,000 sq-ft gymnastics training space with a recreational trampoline center and cheerleading program
• Baseball and Softball Training Facility – Indoor turf infield and five batting cages
• Field House – Indoor 100-yard turf field for soccer, lacrosse, football, field hockey, softball and baseball; hardwood courts for basketball and volleyball; and a 1/5-mile track.
• Squash Center – Squash Center with 12 courts
• Tennis Center – Tennis Center with seven indoor tennis courts

Like Chelsea Piers New York, CPCT will combine athletic facilities with an extensive array of professional instructors and league programs for youths, teens and adults.

In addition to these sport offerings, CPCT will also be home to:

• Childcare facility and preschool – Small class sizes, certified teachers and use of the sports facilities at CPCT
• Food Service – Food service, event spaces, and catering throughout the facility
• Pro Shop – An on-site pro shop for equipment need

To learn more go to: www.chelseapiersct.com

Tune in to SPREECAST (here) at 12pm on Wednesday, January 25 and join in the conversation!

Veteran defenseman Angela Ruggiero showed up at the U.S. women’s hockey team camp in Blaine, Minn., on Wednesday without her gear — a first in her 16-year career. Instead, she carried 10 typed pages of prepared remarks. She didn’t want to wing it and risk forgetting something important.

Ruggiero was still rehabbing from shoulder surgery and wasn’t supposed to be there at all, so her teammates stared at her quizzically when she walked into the locker room. She asked them to gather and told them she was retiring, effective immediately. And then, methodical yet passionate as always, she began spelling out the lessons of a lifetime in the game.

Her teammates hugged her when she was done. She told them they would have more time to talk later. Then the players spilled out on the ice to scrimmage and Ruggiero stayed behind in her street clothes, drained and uplifted.

“Right now, I’m standing behind the glass, and I guess that’s a metaphor for how my life will be going forward,” Ruggiero said by telephone Wednesday night. “It feels right. But it’s emotional. Saying goodbye to anything you’ve done that long is hard.”

Here’s the first and, in some ways, the only thing you need to know about Ruggiero: She is smart and driven and talented enough to have done practically anything with her life, but she chose to play hockey. In so doing, she has enriched her sport and the experience of many of the women who shared the ice with her.

Ruggiero’s retirement from the national team comes as she is about to turn 32, after 256 games, four World Championships and four Olympic medals. She should be a shoo-in to join her former teammate Cammi Granato in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

After 16 years, Angela Ruggiero played more games than any other Team USA player (256) and finished with 67 goals and 141 assists for 208 career points. (photo- John David Mercer, US Presswire)

Even amid the scrum of well-educated, articulate women who play at the game’s top level in this country, Ruggiero stood out as one of the sharpest knives in the drawer, a go-to player for reporters who wanted big-picture analysis or an X-and-O breakdown. She was generous, humble, straightforward, steely and dependable. Add leadership ability as obvious as the flashing light behind the net, and it’s easy to understand her longevity.

But what always impressed me most about Ruggiero was how much she thought through what she was doing, every step of the way. The fact that it’s impossible for women to make a full-time living in hockey was both a curse and a blessing for her after she graduated cum laude from Harvard with a degree in government in 2004, and already an NCAA and Olympic champion.

Accomplishment never robbed Ruggiero of motivation, but she still had to figure out what to do with herself during those intermissions that yawned between major competitions — how to keep herself in shape and advance the plot as a person. She had many options and pursued a good number of them, often multi-tasking, always curious, never frantic.

“I find that I’ve tried to become a better hockey player every year

Angela Ruggiero won a gold medal with Team USA at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. (Photo: Icon SMI)

and not just hold on,” Ruggiero told me in an interview in late 2009 as she prepared for the 2010 Vancouver Games. “At the same time, I’ve also made it a point to increase or grow in some other area of my life. If I were just playing hockey, I would probably be done with the sport.”

She worked in commercial real estate, managed the New York Islanders’ charitable arm, wrote a book, did commentary for the Frozen Four, ran hockey camps and earned a master’s degree in sports management. Meanwhile, she traveled wherever she could get ice time with the best players, following a gypsy’s path through Boston and Canada and Minnesota, with stops in her home state of California and a professional cameo in Tulsa, Okla., where she played alongside her brother. She turned down a real-life job offer from Donald Trump after he fired her on “The Apprentice.”

She contemplated leaving the game more than once, but couldn’t. Until now.

“It’s not about, ‘Let me play as long as I can so I don’t have to grow up.’ It’s about, ‘Let me play as long as I enjoy it, and when it’s time to step away, I can step away gracefully even if I’m still good enough to keep playing, because I’m ready for that next phase,’” Ruggiero said in that 2009 interview, and that is exactly what she has done.

In 2010, Ruggiero was elected to an eight-year term as an athlete representative to the International Olympic Committee, which

Angela Ruggiero attends an IOC meeting in Lausanne, 2010 (Photo: International Olympic Committee)

places her on the U.S. Olympic Committee’s board of directors, as well. To say she loves her duties is an understatement, as anyone who follows her ebullient Twitter feed can attest. She was on the site evaluation committee for the 2018 Winter Games and has traveled the world for events and meetings, always with the same agenda in mind.

“It’s an opportunity to represent the athletes, give them a voice,” she said Wednesday. “I lived it for so long, I understand … I have this unbelievable platform to help our sport, to challenge the NHL and the IIHF [International Ice Hockey Federation] to do more.”

On the global stage, Ruggiero said she is determined to be part of a USOC that wants to “put our best foot forward, engage with the world and show we care about the Olympic movement and it isn’t just about us. I’m in the perfect position. It’s a sports position and a political position where I can help better the lives of athletes around the world.”

If that sounds like high idealism, it is.

And don’t bet against Ruggiero getting a few things done. She plans to apply for an MBA program and continue to play for the Boston Blades of the Canadian Women’s Hockey League in her spare time. She is someone intent on living a life without regrets. Would she have loved to be part of a championship team in Vancouver instead of falling to archrival Canada in the gold-medal game? Yes, and that goal was a big reason that she kept playing.

“I’ve been chasing that gold since we won in Nagano [in 1998],” Ruggiero said. “But you can’t control everything in life. We weren’t the better team on that day.”

On Wednesday night, standing behind the glass, Ruggiero admitted she had fully intended to stick around for the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia. But she knew only too well what kind of commitment it would take, and had reached a point where she didn’t want to close the blinds on other vistas. She’s beginning to visualize something different, and shared that with her teammates in her farewell address.

“What I’d really like is to be the one putting the medals around their necks in Sochi,” she said. “Gold medals.”

Ruggiero could have done pretty much anything with the gifts she was given. She chose to play hockey. We should all look forward to whatever she does next.

Four-time Olympian and one of the greatest women’s ice hockey players in history, Angela Ruggiero has decided that she is finally ready to hang up her skates and announced her retirement from the U.S. women’s national hockey team Wednesday, after 16 years with the program.

Ruggiero is one of women’s hockey’s most accomplished players. During her 16-year tenure on the U.S. national team, she recorded 67 goals and 141 assists for 208 career points, and played more games than any other Team USA player (256) in history.

“I feel honored and privileged to have represented the USA program over the past 16 years,” Ruggiero said. “USA Hockey will always be a part of me and I will cherish the experiences and memories with this team. Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way. I am now looking forward to my next career, as well as continuing my work representing the athletes of the world through my roles on the International Olympic Committee and the United States Olympic Committee.”

Ruggiero, 31, a star player on all four U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Teams to date, won an Olympic gold medal in 1998 as the youngest member (18 years old) of the team; a silver medal in 2002 where she was named the tournament’s Top Defenseman; a bronze medal in 2006 where she tied for the lead among tournament defensemen with six points (2-4) and was named the tournament’s Top Defenseman for a second time; and another silver medal at the 2010 Olympics where she was named to the media all-star team. She played in 10 World Championships, winning four gold medals and six silver medals.

Angela Ruggiero leaves the stage after 256 national team games for the United States. Photo: Andre Ringuette / HHOF-IIHF Images

Ruggiero, who was the Top-Ranked Female Hockey Player In The World by The Hockey News in 2003, represented Team USA in 10 IIHF Women’s World Championships (gold-2005, 2008-09, 2011; silver-1997, 1999-01, 2004, 2007). In 2005, she scored the shootout goal that gave Team USA its first-ever gold medal in the IIHF Women’s World Championship. She was named the tournament’s Top Defenseman four times (2001, 2004-05, 2008) and earned a spot on the media all-star team on four occasions (2004-05, 2007, 2009).

USA Hockey’s Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year in 2003 and 2004, Ruggiero graduated cum laude from Harvard University in 2004 with a bachelor’s degree in government. She was an NCAA First Team Academic All-American in 2004 and also earned the NCAA’s Top VIII Award that year as one of the top eight student-athletes in the entire NCAA. ESPN.com also named her one of the Top-16 Female Athletes in the World in 2004.

For the third time in her career, junior captain Angela Ruggiero hoists the Beanpot trophy proudly above her head.

Ruggiero accumulated 253 points in her four-year career (1998-2000/2002-04) at Harvard to rank sixth all-time at the University and first among defensemen. The four-time NCAA All-American captured the prestigious Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award in 2004, an honor bestowed annually on the top player in NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey. Ruggiero was a finalist for the honor in each of her four collegiate campaigns.

Ruggiero made history on Jan. 28, 2005, when she and her brother, Bill, competed for the Central Hockey League’s Tulsa Oilers, becoming the first-ever brother-sister tandem to play in a professional hockey game in North America. In that contest, she also became the first female non-goalie to play in a professional hockey game in North America.

Off the ice, Ruggerio, who earned a master’s degree in sport management from the University of Minnesota in January 2011, has inspired the same leadership she created on the ice. The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) board member was elected (eight-year term) to a highly regarded position as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Athlete’s Commission in 2010. The commission serves as a consultative body and is the link between active athletes and the International Olympic Committee. She was later appointed to the IOC Evaluation Commission to examine potential host cities for the 2018 Olympic Games and is currently a member of the IOC’s Coordination Commission for the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in PyeongChang, South Korea, and the IOC Entourage Commission.

In addition, Ruggiero is the founder of the All American Girls’ Hockey School; the author of “Breaking the Ice,” her inspirational autobiography; and the former director of the New York Islanders’ Project Hope – an organization that provides young Chinese athletes with access to educational opportunities. In 2007, she appeared in the sixth season of Donald Trump’s “The Apprentice” on NBC. Her charitable efforts are far-reaching and include involvement with the ProSports MVP Olympic Heroes Tour, Right to Play, and momsteam.com.

What They Are Saying About Angela Ruggiero

“Angela’s career is unmatched and while she’s an extraordinary athlete, she’s equally as extraordinary of a human being. While her career as a player for our national program is now complete, we know she’ll continue to be a major contributor to the continued advancement of not only hockey, but the Olympic movement, across the world.”

- Dave Ogrean, Executive Director, USA Hockey

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“For some players it’s safe to say that once the player retires, he or she will be inducted to a Hall of Fame. Angela Ruggiero is one of those players. I can not find a better comparison than the one between Angela and the most superior defenseman of all time on the male side in international hockey – Vyacheslav Fetisov. Having taken part in all four Olympics 1998-2010, with medals in each of them; winning four IIHF Worlds golds; and 13 individual awards, she has not only been the best defenseman in the last 15 years, Angela Ruggiero has defined this era of women’s hockey.”

- René Fasel, President, International Ice Hockey Federation

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“Congratulations to Angela. I know Angela will be a star at anything she does as she takes this next step in her life. She is a leader and a great addition to any team. We wish her lots of luck and success.”

- Donald Trump

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“Angela has been a tremendous ambassador for women’s ice hockey. Her impact on the game has far exceeded her accomplishments on the ice. We want to wish Angela the very best as she takes this next step in her life and thank her for her unrelenting dedication to USA Hockey. She will be missed.”

- Katey Stone, Head Coach: 2011-12 U.S. Women’s National Team & Harvard Univ. Women’s Ice Hockey Team

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“Athletes need to be at the heart of the Olympics to make sure the Games in particular and the movement in general properly cater to their needs. With someone as dedicated and hard working as Angela representing their cause the ‘athletes’ voice’ is in safe hands. We congratulate her on an exceptional career on the playing field and look forward to her continued efforts on behalf of the Olympic Movement.”

- Jacques Rogge, President, International Olympic Committee

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“I remember being on the ice with her for her first shift in a Team USA uniform. I was taking the draw and I looked back and there was Angela with a huge smile, so excited to play. And that never changed throughout her career. She lit up the lockerroom with her infectious laugh and spirit, and on the ice always played with the strength and edge that made her so dominant.”

- Cammi Granato, Ruggiero Teammate

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“Angela is a tremendous ambassador both for sport and for Team USA. While excelling both athletically and academically, she has become an inspiration and a role model for a new generation of female athletes. We salute and congratulate her on an unrivaled career on the ice and look forward to working with her as she continues to expand her role within the worldwide Olympic Movement.”

- Scott Blackmun, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Olympic Committee

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“Angela has been a terrific role model and is someone that has positively influenced the sport of ice hockey, not only in the United States, but across the world.”

- Bob Nicholson, President, Hockey Canada

Athletic Highlights

• Four-time Olympic medalist in women’s ice hockey
• Inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the 1998 U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team, which won the first gold medal in women’s ice hockey
• All-Time Leader in Games Played for Team USA
• Member of Harvard University women’s ice hockey team that captured 1999 NCAA National Championship

Awards

• Earned Directorate Award as Top Defenseman at IIHF Women’s World Championships (2008, 2005, 2004, 2001)
• Directorate Award as Top Defenseman at the Olympic Winter Games (2006, 2002)
• Ranked one of Top 16 Female Athletes in the World by ESPN.com (2004)
• NCAA First Team Academic All-American (2004)
• NCAA Top VIII Award as one of the top eight student-athletes in the entire NCAA (2004)
• Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award (2004)
• NCAA National Strength and Conditioning Association Athlete of the Year (2004)
• Four-time NCAA All-American (2004)
• Ivy League Player of the Year (2004)
• Harvard MVP (2004, 2003, 2001)
• USA Hockey Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year (2004, 2003)
• United States Olympic Committee Hockey Player of the Year (2003)
• Named Best Female Hockey Player in the World by The Hockey News (2003)
• Ranked Top Defenseman in the World by Globe and Mail (2003)
• Wheelchair Charities Inc. Female Athlete of the Year (2009)

Hockey great Angela Ruggiero named to SportsIllustrated.com’s list of Top 100 Most Influential Twitter Handles in Sports (@angelaruggiero)

As we mark Twitter’s fifth anniversary (July 15), it’s a good time to acknowledge the social media site’s influence on the sports landscape. Every NBA, MLB, NHL and NFL franchise has a Twitter presence and its impact on news has been profound, as SI.com’s Jon Wertheim reports in this story. With social networking growing at a rapid pace, the writers and editors at SI.com decided to put together a package on the most influential twitter handles in the world of sports for Twitter’s fifth anniversary.

The first annual Twitter 100 is the result of a month-long conversation about the best people to follow in sports. For SI.com’s inaugural Twitter 100, we polled more than 50 Sports Illustrated staffers — from reporters to writers to editors — who are hard-core Twitter users and asked them which feeds they considered essential to their daily routine for finding news, information and entertainment from the sports world. We gave them one guideline: You could not choose anyone associated with SI. After weeks of debating the endless possibilities, we’ve whittled down the list to our top 100, which we present in alphabetical order. The list covers a variety of sports and includes a diverse group of interesting feeds: SI.com The Twitter Top 100

An IOC member, Harvard graduate and one of the greatest women’s hockey players ever, Angela Ruggiero has been named to this select list. Follow Angela on Twitter @angelaruggiero