Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, July 23, 1994 TAG: 9407250041
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By MELISSA CURTIS STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
Two days later they finished building a huge swan-shaped raft from plastic foam.
And today when 13 rafting teams prepare to race down the New River during Radford's Riverfest, they will board their raft and embark on their first river raft race in America.
Rogachev came to Radford from Russia a year ago to work for three years as an engineering manager for Radva Corp., a Radford company that makes thermastructure wall systems. He may return to Russia or decide to stay in Radford after his three-year stint.
Now his family has come to the United States to see Rogachev and to help him paddle his way to the finish line.
The idea to enter Rogachev and his family into the raft race came from Luther Dickens, Radva's president.
"Luther said 'Hey, George, are you going to enter in the Riverfest race?' and I said, 'I have no boat' and he said 'You can build it,''' said Rogachev. The idea to model the raft into a swan came to him when he saw a pair of old Russian cups that look like swans in Dickens' home.
Rogachev and 14-year- old Michael Ioffe, who is from Russia and has lived in Radford with his parents for four and a half years, spent about 40 hours building the raft from the insulated panels made by Radva. Thursday, Rogachev's family helped him and Ioffe sand the foam smooth.
"It will float," Rogachev said, looking proudly at the foam-filled swan. "I don't know how fast, but it will float."
On a visit from Russia last year, Rogachev, who worked at a joint-venture company Radva opened in Russia four years ago, experienced his first American community festival when he took part in the festivities of Riverfest '93.
"It was great," Rogachev said. "It was a really nice time - jokes, food, weather."
Rogachev said Riverfest is very similar to Russian community festivals.
"I felt like I was in Russia," he said. "Same people talking, seeing friends, eating food."
For Rogachev, coming to the United States for the third time left little room for surprises. But his family members, who have never been to the United States and who do not speak very much English, were struck by the beauty and friendliness of the country.
"The biggest impression for them was how nice the houses and the people in America are," Rogachev said, smiling at his family members as they watched him rattle away in English.
But Rogachev's family doesn't need to speak fluent English to paddle and splash their way to victory in today's race, just muscle power.
And the whole team is confident the winning title is within paddle's reach.
"I think we will win," Rogachev said. "But even if we lose, it's not a big deal. We just like to be here for this holiday."
by CNB