To hear it is to know that Fair Havenite Connor Jaeger's Olympic journey is a story woven from every fabric of American Dream cloth. Small town kid finds a love and talent for swimming. Said kid hones his skill with the support of a loving, community-minded family and good, wholesome friends. Talent in tow, the teen goes off to college at University of Michigan, continues to compete and secures a spot on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team. Once on the team, the hometown hero's name, Connor Jaeger, becomes a household moniker over the stretch of his summertime Olympic journey as one of the fastest and…
With a heart full of gratitude, a carload of college luggage and his dad by his side, Connor Jaeger embarked on a familiar, typical journey back to college on Wednesday. It was the most ordinary thing the extraordinary 21-year-old Olympian swimmer from Fair Haven had done in a month-and-a-half, he reflected as the father and son team drove through the Delaware Water Gap on their 10-hour trek to the University of Michigan. “Yeah, it’s been a month-and-a-half of just hectic,” Jaeger said while riding, GPS sounding in the background. “But it’s been an amazing kind of hectic.” In the past month …
"There he is! He's over theeeeere!," a thrilled pre-teen screamed as she saw Connor Jaeger round a corner to the Fair Haven firehouse to say hello to his supporters after a motorcade Friday night welcoming the 2012 Olympic swimmer back home. Heeding the alert, a group of kids tore over in the direction where they saw their hometown hero come to a stop to greet his fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures. "I never could have imagined this!" Jaeger's mom, Bernadette, said as she smiled while watching throngs of kids crowd around her son. Jaeger, a 21-year-old graduate of Rumson-Fair Haven …
Swimming is over and now it's raining in London. Can we ever get away from water? ~ Olympic swimmer Connor Jaeger's dad Eric after the finals via Twitter. Olympic swimmer Connor Jaeger’s dad Eric will be the first to tell you that his modest, unassuming son really doesn’t like to be the center of attention. While people in Fair Haven really do want to respect Connor’s wishes, they just can’t help themselves. They’re proud of him. They like him. And they think he deserves some sort of recognition and, yes, fanfare, for what they think is a major accomplishment in life — becoming the sixth best…
"A great race for Connor ... So proud. Then a walk around Olympic Park. Fantastic. This is a great experience. Thank you Connor!" ~ Olympian swimmer Connor Jaeger's dad, via Twitter, on his son's race in the finals Saturday. Medal or not, Connor Jaeger is seen as a hometown hero. The 21-year-old graduate of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School and incoming junior at Michigan University came in sixth in the 2012 Summer Olympics 1,500 meter freestyle swim category in Saturday's finals. He did not win a medal, but friends and fans of the swimmer could not be more proud of Jaeger's …
"We are just so thrilled for Connor, words can't describe the love and joy. We can also feel the encouragement and hear the screams of support from the Knights of Columbus and throughout the Two Rivers. It makes a difference. Thank you all. Way to represent!" Olympian swimmer Connor Jaeger's dad Connor Jaeger came in sixth Saturday in the 1,500 meter freestyle Olympic finals. He did not get a medal, but "he's sixth in the world and that's great! He'll be back in four years, you wait and see — he'll qualify for more than one event then." Jaeger family friend Michael Goione. Earlier ... They …
On the cusp of his swim of a lifetime, Fair Haven Olympic swimmer Connor Jaeger is in London and probably not thinking much about his favorite meal. But, there are friends and fans back home who cannot help but wonder if he had his favorite things on Friday after he swam and qualified to swim for an Olympic medal on Saturday afternoon. As Jaeger's mom, Bernadette, told Patch, her son has always loved some "chicken parm and a side of nap" between meets. She also said that Fair Haven's Tavolo Pronto was her safe haven for everything from her son's favorite dish to a cup of coffee and good …
"It could not be a better morning in London ... On to the 1,500. Go Conor!" ~ Olympian dad Eric Jaeger on Twitter before his son's first swim as an Olympian. Connor Jaeger is in! The 21-year-old Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate has qualified for the medal round of the 2012 Summer Olympics by about a second and a half, coming in seventh out of eight qualifiers. His time was 14:57.56 and the swimmer he beat had a time of 14:59.05. This was the scene from the start Friday: It was awfully dark, still and sleepy on the streets of Fair Haven at 5 a.m. But, way "over the pond" from …
It’s a story American dreams are made of — a small town family watching their Olympian son and brother bringing his life’s vision into focus. On the cusp of seeing Fair Haven Olympian Connor Jaeger swim that swim of a lifetime, his family is embracing a searing sense of overwhelming gratitude: “So often the most joyous occasions in our lives are shared in small intimate circle of friends and family," dad Eric Jaeger said. "This experience which we are living through now has demonstrated the power and beauty of small-town America as the people rally behind one of their own. We are most humble …
The air is thick with Olympian pride today in Fair Haven. The Summer Olympics 2012 opening ceremony is tonight in London and the town is like one proud parent beaming over its Olympian swimmer son Connor Jaeger. There are Connor's actual parents ... His father, Eric, spoke in the family's stead this morning, saying, "We feel nothing but pride, for Connor, for our town, the community and Team USA. We spoke yesterday ... He's ready!" Then there are the town surrogates ... The Fair Haven Facebook page's cover photo is and has been one of Jaeger signs of pride or Connor himself since he made the …
When Fair Havenite Connor Jager first secured his spot on the USA swim team in the 2012 Olympics in early July, the family got home and got a sign on the lawn right away to demonstrate pride in his win. Since then, the decor has changed. Now, flags are the feature at the Jaeger home. "We decided to take down the sign and do something else," Eric Jaeger, dad, said. Now small American flags line the front lawn's perimeter and three symbolic flags are flying on the porch — An American flag, an Olympic flag and a Michigan University flag (for pride in Connor's college). The family recently posed…
Glasses perched atop his head, Fair Haven Borough Councilman Eric Jaeger settled into his seat on the dais and looked over his meeting paperwork. It was back to ordinary borough business for him for the first time since his son Connor had accomplished the extraordinary — becoming an Olympian swimmer. A 2010 graduate of Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, the 21-year-old Michigan University upcoming junior secured his spot on the Olympics’ Team USA when he came in second in the 1,500 meter freestyle swim event on July 2. It was a moment the modestly proud dad described as a family state of…
It's another sign of Olympian pride for Fair Haven's Connor Jaeger. The 21-year-old Michigan University junior secured his spot on the US Olympics swim team when he came in second in the 1500 meter freestyle race on the last day of the trials in Nebraska June 2. Since then, congratulatory signs have been popping up all over his hometown. Yet, this is the first to be seen outside of the Rumson-Fair Haven area borders. Jaeger was a lifeguard in Long Branch and his past guard colleagues there are pretty proud. They crafted a sign that is now posted on the side of the Long Branch Beach Patrol …
Since 21-year-old Fair Havenite Connor Jaeger found himself Olympics-bound, his hometown friends, family and strangers alike have been bursting with pride. Signs have been sprouting up in prominent spots all over Fair Haven. And, of course, signs of his success were most recently displayed on the marquees of his alma mater Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High and Knollwood schools. We also found one on Rumson's marquee and at Tavolo in Fair Haven. Patch caught shots of those signs yesterday and has been perusing the two towns for such signs since June 2, when Jaeger, on the eighth and final day of…
When the news hit July 2 that Fair Havenite Connor Jaeger had qualified for the 2012 Olympics, the 21-year-old’s hometown residents hopped into action to rise to the occasion in a show of pride and support. Comments flooded the Fair Haven Facebook page, everyone was talking everywhere and the marquee on the firehouse quickly changed from a Fourth of July message to a congratulatory one for Jaeger. The 2010 Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate and son of Fair Haven Councilman Eric Jaeger on the final (eighth) day of U.S. Olympic Trials in Nebraska secured his spot in the summer …
If you watched the Olympic Trials last night, you know that Fair Havenite Connor Jaegar has done his hometown very proud. The 21-year-old Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate, and son of Councilman Eric Jaegar, made his final winning stride toward the Olympics after coming in second place in the 1,500 freestyle event. In the final event of the eight-day trials, the University of Michigan junior finished all smiles with a time of 14:52.51, his proud dad cheering on his Olympiad son. Andrew Gemmell placed first in the event, beating Jaeger by only 32 seconds. The two could be seen …
Fair Haven Borough Councilman was absent from Monday night’s council meeting. And, in this case, he was excused with a round of applause. Jaeger was absent because he was joining his son Connor, a Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School graduate and University of Michigan sophomore, at swimming competitions in the U.S. Olympic trials. Connor finished first as the fastest swimmer in the men’s 400 freestyle on Monday at the trials in Nebraska, Administrator Theresa Casagrande announced at the meeting. He then went on to place fourth in the semi finals and sixth in the finals. Congrats, Connor! …
