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Trevor Roznowski, Rick Voltz excited for new coaching roles

News File Photo Alpena alumnus Trevor Roznowski holds a shot put as he demonstrates the proper way to hold it during a throws clinic at Thunder Bay Junior High School in July. Roznowski was named the new Alpena High girls track coach on Wednesday.

ALPENA – During his days competing in high school and college, Trevor Roznowski developed a love of track and field and a love of teaching.

He’ll combine both passions this spring as a first-time head coach.

Roznowski was one of two new track hires announced by Alpena on Wednesday. Roznowski will coach Alpena’s girls team and Rick Voltz will coach the boys team. Voltz and Roznowski succeed Collin Riffert and Joy Bullis in those respective head coaching roles.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling. Coming back to my hometown has always been something I’ve wanted to do,” Roznowski said. “I have a passion for learning what makes people successful. I’ve always felt that I’ve been able to communicate different elements (different sports) to people.”

Roznowski, a 2017 Alpena graduate, and a 2021 Ferris State University graduate, has been a familiar face around Alpena’s track program in recent seasons. He’s served as an assistant coach for the last three seasons, mentoring Alpena’s athletes in the throwing events.

He qualified for the state finals in the discus as a senior with the Wildcats and competed in throwing events at Ferris.

In his new role, Roznowski said he’s looking forward to putting all he’s learned from his former coaches into practice.

“Learning from my track and field coaches inspired me to love my sport, but all of the other events and all the hard work that goes into making a track team successful,” Roznowski said. “There’s going to be some challenges, but I’m looking forward to taking them on. I’m looking forward to being a sponge and learning from coaches, learning from my mentors, and learning from my athletes.”

Voltz has been a fixture in Alpena athletics for many years, serving as an assistant with the girls basketball and football programs. He’s also been a track coach at Thunder Bay Junior High School for the last four seasons.

In his role at the junior high, Voltz has gotten to mentor many of the current Alpena seniors including Cooper Bright, Ryan Voltz, and Hayden Allen.

“I’m very excited. I coached some of these kids when they were in junior high. I’m excited to be back with them,” Voltz said. “I think the biggest (reason I coach is that) I was involved in athletics when I was growing up, I still aspire to be like some of the coaches I had when I grew up. I want to be a positive role model and inspire them to go as far as they can go.”

Voltz and Roznowski plan on coaching together and said they’re both looking forward to learning from each other as they work to set Alpena up for success.

“I feel very fortunate to work under someone as knowledgeable as Rick Voltz. He’s always been a pillar of our community and I’m looking forward to learning from him,” Roznowski said. “There are so many strategies and approaches to track, but I think it comes down to finding what works for each individual athlete and putting them in position to be successful.”

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