The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 106

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Never Far from a Ball Game
These four men helped the Roanoke Valley briefly become
"Sportstown, Virginia" in 1995 (and one with a puck instead of a ball).
IT'S BEEN 22 YEARS NOW, and the
the Virginia House of Representatives.
boys of summer (winter, spring and fall)
He is a former Montgomery County
are still playing at sports. There they were
Board of Supervisors member and has
on the cover of the July, 1995, issue of
worked as a FedEx driver, Farm Bureau
The Roanoker, owning and managing
agent and financial services professional.
professional sports teams in the valley
Rush was a 140-pound high school
football player and kept his interest in
and begging the Roanoker's question,
football, founding the Rush. The team
"Sportstown, Va.?"
lasted three years and "we were pretty
Their professional sports team affiliations are a distant memory. Their ingood," he says. The high cost of running
a football team finally got the best of the
volvement in sports, however, is not.
Consider:
Rush, which averaged 5,000 in attenSam Lazzaro, 63, who was general
dance its first year and 3,000 its last.
manager of the then-Salem Avalanche
Rush has been married 14 years
baseball team, is a sports lawyer.
(second marriage), lives in ChristiansPierre Paiement, 66, who co-owned
burg and he has two sons who are ofthe Roanoke Express pro hockey team, is
ficers in military service, and a young
a personal trainer.
daughter.
Doug Fonder, 69, who co-owned the
The height of pro sports in Roanoke?
Doug Fonder has been in charge of
pro soccer Riverdawgs, is head coach/
From left: Pierre Paiement, Doug Fonder,
the Roanoke Gators since 1988. He
CEO of the Gators swim club.
Nick Rush, Sam Lazzaro.
started the Riverdawgs soccer team
Nick Rush, 49, who owned the Roanoke
because "my son, Justin, was playing at
Rush (get it?) minor league football team, is a player in the toughthe time" and it seemed like a good idea. The Riverdawgs,
est contact sport of all: politics. He is a member of the General Aswhich later became the Raft, lasted about eight years.
sembly of Virginia.
In addition to the Gators, Fonder is with the Virginia BapMore details on where they are these days:
tist Children's Home and is president/CEO of the International
Lazzaro was with the Redbirds, Buccaneers and Avalanche for
Swim Coach Association. He has been married, the second time,
11 years in Salem. He earned his attorney spurs "reading law" (as
for 20 years and has six children-two of them step, one adopted.
opposed to going to law school) at the office of Richard Padgett
Pierre Paiement came to Roanoke to play professional hockin three years. Passing the bar, he says, is like "getting a driver's liey for the Rebels (actually rising to the Philadelphia Blazers of
cense. You get the license, then you learn to drive."
World Hockey Association for eight games in 1973) and would
end up co-owning a franchise in the East Coast Hockey League
He's "learned to drive" by litigating 2,000 cases in his 11 years
1993-'97.
and finally focusing his practice on sports. Reading law was a secret until he had passed the bar because "I didn't want to fall on
After hockey, he turned to helping sell mascots to colleges,
my face."
owning a Quiznos and other work. He had earned his physical
Lazzaro worked in ad sales for the Blue Ridge Business Journal,
education degree from the University of Montreal and decided
as well as the Sports Journal and Play By Play magazines. He wrote
"to do what I love." He works as a personal trainer and a group
instructor at the Kirk YMCA in Roanoke.
the book "More Than a Ball Game: An Inside Look at Minor
League Baseball" shortly after he reluctantly left the Avalanche.
At 66, he is in good physical condition, though he has had
He still lives in the western end of Roanoke County and resix heart attacks with six stints and a double bypass. He has
mains married to Sue. His son Sammy is food supervisor at Carilbeen married most recently for four years and has two children
ion and Justin owns an internet startup.
and three grandkids. His son, Bryan, is a freelance contributor
Nick Rush represents Montgomery County and environs in
to The Roanoker and LifeOutside.
-DAN SMITH
106 | MAY/JUNE 2017

THEROANOKER.COM


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The Roanoker May/June 2017

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Roanoker May/June 2017

Worth a Click
From the Editor
Lunch With
Streets of Roanoke
The Gist
Events Calendar
Best of Roanoke 2017
Architects on our Architecture
Fun & Functional: Inside the Glickfield Home
Roanoke Valley Health & Wellness: The A-Z
Tacos ā€˜nā€™ BBQ: A Great Spot for Each
The Dish
Where are They Now?
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Intro
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Cover1
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Cover2
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 3
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 4
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 5
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 6
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 7
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Worth a Click
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 9
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - From the Editor
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 11
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Lunch With
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 13
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Streets of Roanoke
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 15
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 16
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 17
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - The Gist
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 19
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 20
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 21
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 22
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Events Calendar
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 24
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 25
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 26
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Best of Roanoke 2017
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 28
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 29
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 30
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 31
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 32
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The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 70
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 71
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 72
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 73
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 74
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 75
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Architects on our Architecture
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 77
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 78
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 79
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 80
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 81
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 82
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 83
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Fun & Functional: Inside the Glickfield Home
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 85
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 86
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 87
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 88
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 89
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 90
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 91
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Roanoke Valley Health & Wellness: The A-Z
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 93
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 94
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 95
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 96
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 97
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Tacos ā€˜nā€™ BBQ: A Great Spot for Each
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 99
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 100
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 101
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 102
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 103
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - 104
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - The Dish
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Where are They Now?
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Cover3
The Roanoker May/June 2017 - Cover4
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