Dave Rodger

Who is Dave Rodger?

Dave Rodger is a former New Zealand rower who won an Olympic Bronze medal. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal he was a member of the eight along with Tony Hurt, Ivan Sutherland, Trevor Coker, Peter Dignan, Lindsay Wilson, Athol Earl and Alex McLean and Simon Dickie. Rodger was selected for the coxless four to compete at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow but did not go due to the boycott. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles he was a member of the eight which finished fourth. Rodger married Dianne a leading New Zealand athlete. They were the first husband and wife to compete for New Zealand at the same Olympic Games.

Rodger now coaches, encouraging deep burn and sixty minute ergs, as well as eating yoghurt and drinking milk straight after training. He has been quoted as saying "if you were like me you would be viewing milk as a food and not as a liquid" and "you'll see that I'm really a sheep in wolf's clothing" and "a joke's a joke, a poke's a poke......no poke, no joke."

He is well respected for making awkward jokes about his New Zuland accent, relying heavily on the correlation between 'six' and 'sex'.

His son Logan is now attempting to follow in his father's footsteps as a budding young rower and member of the Waikato Regional Performance Rowing Centre.