Annie - we're all very proud of you - the training that you put in and the effort that you made - and feel very sad for you that it just did not come off.
Annie had a wonderful support crew on the boat with her, particularly Carmel who put in so many hours with Annie, but also Mike, Pat and Jannene.
We are all sending our warmest thoughts Ann's way.
The good news is that Annie has said she is going to try again ..... just not this week!
But she will be swimming at the King of the Bays on Sunday.
One of Roskill Masters Swimming Club's most successful swimmers is Ann Rogerson who swims at the Roskill pool under the guidance and supervision of Coach Carmel Dickson. Ann became an active member of the Club in 1997 having been introduced to swimming as a child in Wanganui at the Central Swimming Club. Her love and passion for the sea, both as a swimmer and as a member of the Wanganui Sailing Club, was encouraged by her late father, Morris Rogerson. This web page has been created to share Ann's epic journey as she trains in preparation for her challenge to swim Cook Strait, known for its relentless currents and chilling temperatures. Ann mailed off an application along with a deposit in 2007, hoping to be considered as a candidate for a crossing and in late August 2008, received a phone call from Philip Rush, coordinator and manager of Cook Strait attempts and a date for her challenge was confirmed. It is hoped the timing - the 1st week of April 2009 - will produce ideal conditions for Ann to complete her crossing. However, the challenge to conquer Cook Strait will not be an easy task and beween now and April 2009 it is hoped that this page will provide you with an insight into the training and preparation of a swimmer as she strives to fulfill a lifetime ambition. When she reaches the other side she will be the oldest woman to complete the swim. Latest Updates The sharp end of training - 18 February
New Year newsletter - January 2009
And the question we've all been asking - what does she think about while she's swimming? - 10 December
And here's the first of her blogs - 30 November
And check out the March edition of North and South for an article featuring many of the Roskill club swimmers including Annie and Coach Carmel. The article was written by another club member, Fiona Barber. Training Click here to get all the secrets of Ann’s training – link to training programme. She hasn’t quite grown gills, but she has struck up an intimate friendship with some of the underwater wildlife.
 Yes Annie, we know that jellyfish stings hurt. But for a really bad jellyfish story check out this one that has been doing the rounds on the internet.And she was swimming off Kohi just before a pod of orca turned up to check out what was on the menu.
Speaking of menus, that amount of exercise needs a fair bit of fuel. She doesn't eat quite as much as Michael Phelps was reported to consume each day, but she can still put away a fair bit even though she's only little!
Part of the training is of course the open water swims held throughout the summer both in Auckland and around the rest of New Zealand. So far Annie’s clocked up three firsts for her age group in all the Sovereign series races so far - the Auckland Harbour Crossing, Harbour Capital Classic and Corsair Bay races. In fact she wins all her age group races - hardly surprising given the mileage she's doing! Her coach Carmel and swimming buddies Mike and Joan have also won golds in their age groups in these events.
 Ann with club mates Lisa, Mike, Carmel and Penny with their first place medals after the Sovereign Harbour Crossing in November. Fundraising
It costs quite a lot of money to swim the Strait – both the actual crossing and the training that has to be done beforehand. Annie’s one of those poor students, having just recently completed a Masters degree in Psychology, and with a goal to complete her PhD. And with the time she spends in the water training she really doesn’t have time to work. So the Club is helping her with her fundraising efforts – we’ve had some raffles (no thanks to the low-lifes who stole one of the raffle baskets) and later in the summer will be holding a fundraising function – so watch this space.
The lucky winners of the two major raffles were Rob Corne (Christmas hamper) and Paul Green (Orca wetsuit). Thanks to everyone who supported the raffles.
Any donations are welcome please email Eugene at administrator@roskillmasters.com for further information. ThanksSo many people are helping Ann achieve her goal in many ways, including
|   Getting the 'food' ready the night before Greasing up
  Ready to go Touching the NI rocks at the start
  Annie looking really strong A container ship's crew lends support
 
A bit of a swell! Philip alongside for every stroke
 Back on the boat and warming up |