Cool kids: 12-year-old is an all-star kid

When 12-year-old Casey Rogstad boarded a plane for Washington, D.C., over spring break, he knew his trip to the People to People Leadership Conference was going to teach him a lot about the nation’s history as well as how to become a better leader. What he didn’t expect was that the trip would teach him more about himself than it would about government.

“I learned a lot about myself,” said the Spirit Lake Elementary School sixth-grader, who was nominated to attend the conference by his fifth-grade teacher Colleen Thomson. “I figured out how brave I was to get on that plane and go 3,000 miles away without knowing anyone.”

Casey said he was a little nervous while attending the conference. Describing himself as shy, he was surprised to learn how outgoing he was among his peers.

“At first it was a little hard,” he said. “But after getting settled in, I was the one asking where people were from and starting conversations.”

While in Washington, D.C., Casey visited the national monuments as well as Jamestown, Williamsburg and Gettysburg. There were not only kids from all over the United States, said Casey, but also from South Africa.

“People to People is supposed to bring young people together from all over the world,” he explained. “We work together so in the future we can help bring peace to the world.”

Casey, who earned high school credit for attending the conference, said the cost for the entire week totaled $2,200. He worked hard mowing lawns and doing jobs for neighbors so he could earn money to help pay for the trip. He also approached local businesses and organizations requesting sponsorships. Some of his sponsors included the VFW, his church and the Spirit Lake Grandmother’s Club.

In addition to the monuments, Casey also visited the office of Idaho U.S. Rep. Bill Sali. “I got to sit in his big fancy chair, too,” said Casey.

While People to People was a great experience, Casey said going to the next level, which includes international travel, is not something he can undertake at this time.

“School, baseball and basketball are all I can do for now,” he said.

In mid-May, Casey found himself traveling yet again, but this time closer to home. He and four classmates participated in the Mars Rover project in Moscow. They constructed a Mars Rover out of Legos, using a hydraulic pump and a power controller. Casey said his team was required to keep a journal of their daily work and design a poster-board display of the project.

The team placed first among all of the teams in North Idaho and was then pitted against teams from the rest of the state.

“We placed fourth in the whole state,” he said.

Having received straight A’s for the last 11 quarters of school, Casey said he works hard to get his school work completed during the day so he has time for sports after school.

Casey takes his goal for perfection from the classroom to the pitching mound. He recently achieved what few have been able to do, even in the major leagues — he pitched a perfect game.

“A perfect game is when there are no walks, no hits and your team commits no errors,” Casey said. “There have only been 16 perfect games ever pitched in the major leagues, and they have been around over 100 years.”

He followed that up by pitching a no-hitter, striking out 16 batters, in his next outing. He credits his success in baseball to his father, Kim, who played college baseball and has taught Casey a lot about the sport.

“I’ve been playing baseball since I learned to walk,” said Casey, who plays for the Spirit Lake White Sox Little League team as well as the All Stars during the summer months.

Casey’s favorite team is the Chicago White Sox. He closely follows the career of White Sox pitcher Bobby Jenks.

“My dad coached him in junior high,” said Casey. Last year Casey traveled to Seattle to see the White Sox play the Mariners. After the game he had the opportunity to meet Jenks, who signed a baseball for him.

“Some day I hope we will be on the same team,” said Casey, whose goal is to one day become a professional baseball player.

While Casey is aware that some of his talent on the ball field may come naturally, he also knows that his success is also the result of hard work.

“It’s all from my dad. He knows how to do everything right. He teaches me so I can learn how to do things right at an early age,” said Casey. “And the rest, that is just practice.”