Athlete of the Week: Cody Rorick

No one ever said that playing hockey is easy. At least, no one who can truly appreciate the rapid elegance behind every executed deke and dangle, every well-timed check, every top shelf one-timer. The sport combines a myriad of athletic and agile aspects with the need for a full 360-degree awareness and quick-reaction decisions. Certain players can maximize this elegance, scoring goals with unrivalled flair.Cody Rorick ‘14, like many other hockey players, fell into a rut of playing with this style. “In past years, he wanted to be a little cute,” Dana Barbin, Rorick’s PEA hockey coach for the past four years, said. “He tried to be an offensive guy that he wasn’t.”A main qualification of becoming a “great” athlete over a good one, however, is the ability to adapt to new roles, and Rorick did just that. Guided by his coach, Rorick worked harder than ever to improve not only physically but also mentally and technically. Realizing he could not be this “cute” scorer, Rorick has developed into a strong and mature player, who uses his physical strength and skills to dominate his opponents. This has allowed Rorick to become one of Exeter hockey’s premium talents.“I’m so pleased with Cody this year,” Barbin said. “It’s a long process to become a top varsity player, and now he’s there: playing hard, consistent hockey, game in and game out. It’s a challenge to be a consistent, competitive player every game. He’s finally figured that out.”Over a decade before reaching this point, Cody made his first strides as an athlete. With encouragement from his father, he began skating at the age of three in a local rink. A high school player himself, Cody’s father inspired his son to pick up the sport and continued to push him throughout his childhood. The passion for hockey passed down.“It was a fun sport to play, and as I got older, I realized that hockey was one of the only things that mattered to me,” Rorick said.As with anything, pursuing a passion didn’t come without its obstacles. “Ice time” at a local rink can cost an arm and a leg and be available only at bizarre hours of the day, while not everyone is lucky with the location of their “local” rinks. As far back as fourth grade, Cody played for an AAA team that practiced in Syracuse – an hour drive from his home in Deerfield, NY. And it didn’t get any better from there. As he approached high school, he saw that playing hockey for a boarding school “made more sense.” Enter Phillips Exeter Academy. Again, a challenge.“It was a hard adjustment at first, but with Coach Barbin, it became a little bit easier,” Rorick said. “The pace was hard to keep up with at first. I focused in on hockey, and through training and hard work, I’ve been able to get much better over the past four years.”Rorick’s diligence has shown in no place more than his honed style of play. “He’s figured out that he needs to be a power forward – Milan Lucic style for us – where he uses his size and his body, and is a physical presence for his team. When he shoots the puck, he can really rip it,” Barbin said.Rorick’s teammates have seen a similar growth in his abilities. “He will block shots, take a hit or whatever else is needed for the team to win: caring less about style than results,” senior co-captain Patrick Quinn said. “He has become a much smarter player over the years and developed a stronger sense of the game.”“This is my third year playing with Cody and he has improved a lot since his sophomore year,” senior goalie Jack Parsons said. “He has gotten a lot faster and has developed into one of our best forwards.”In addition to leading the team in skill, the second-line left wing has also developed into a leader in all aspects, earning the title of captain along with Quinn and Matt Foley ‘14.“Cody is very outgoing and welcoming of the new players in the locker room as well as around campus,” Quinn said. “He always has a smile on his face as he waves to his peers, and greets all with a warm smile. His vocal personality gets the team going before every game. He is a true leader.”Rorick credited past Big Red players for giving him the skills he has amassed. “Last year’s captain, Chris Keating ’13, set a great example of what hard work was and has been a big mentor for me during my time here,” Rorick said. “We were both new kids on the team my freshman year and his lower year, so we transitioned into the system together.”While he is pleased to be a captain, he is not basking in the appointment. “It’s an honor and we have a big senior class, but it’s just a title. It’s my play that will dictate whether I’m a leader or not this year,” Rorick said.After a somewhat disappointing 2012-2013 season, Big Red hockey looks to right themselves on the Road to Ingalls. They are confident that they can do it. “The team is looking really strong – we have a lot of strong forwards and we are going to have a potent offense this year,” Parsons said. “Our goal is nothing less than a New England Championship.”As the long and winding road for Rorick clears and straightens, his coach has nothing but confidence in his abilities. “He’s going to lead us to a very terrific year this winter,” Barbin said.