“The News” Choate Rosemary Hall
By Emily Brown & Kaelyn Quinn, News Editors

On Wednesday, February 8th, ice hockey player and four-time Olympic medalist, Ms. Angela Ruggiero ’98, confirmed that she would be the commencement speaker at this year’s June commencement at Choate Rosemary Hall.

In January, Ruggiero was contacted by Director of Athletics, Mr. Ned Gallagher. Ruggiero then spoke with Dr. Curtis and accepted the invitation to speak. Upon receiving the offer, Ruggiero said she was “excited and honored, and really just so happy that I could to be part of commencement.”

As for what she intends to say at the graduation ceremony, “I want to put myself in the graduates’ shoes,” Ruggiero said. (read more)

Chelsea Piers is proud to team up with women’s hockey legend, Angela Ruggiero, to offer the Angela Ruggiero Girl’s Hockey School. Angela, a 4-time U.S. Women’s Olympic Hockey team member and ambassador for the women’s game, leads a team of experienced coaches as they teach and train female players aged 6 to 14.

Angela’s teaching philosophy is simple: each player is different and deserves individualized coaching. Camp will be divided into small groups based on age and ability level and the focus will be on developing the individual skills of each player. Angela and her team will expose players to different aspects of the game in an up-tempo, fun and challenging environment. Players will be coached on ways of developing their own style of play and will be pushed to reach their own potential. (read more)

Soccer Phenomenon Kristine Lilly, Hockey Great Angela Ruggiero and Squash Legend Natalie Grainger to Coach Summer Camps at Chelsea Piers Connecticut

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. (read more)

Join Emmy-winning broadcaster Tina Cervasio as she talks to hockey great Angela Ruggiero today on Spreecast!

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

(read more)

EspnW -By Bonnie D. Ford

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.

[caption id="attachment_2816" align="alignright" width="275" caption="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)"][/caption]

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. (read more)