By Michael Carman
Peninsula Daily News
BREMERTON — A BMX bike wreck temporarily derailed Hayden Woods’ first attempt to learn the basics of tennis three summers ago.
Woods was unable to play in the first free summer tennis camp put on by Port Angeles coach Gil Stockton after he crashed his bike while attempting a jump and “ruined my right arm before freshman year,” he said.
Stockton puts on a two-week camp each summer designed to introduce the game to potential players entering high school in an area that lacks an indoor tennis facility and the ability to play the sport year-round.
Even if Woods couldn’t participate in much of that camp, the seed was planted, with the help of a tennis-playing older sister, Maddy Woods, who also helped push Hayden to the tennis courts.
It’s been a rapid rise from novice to now for Woods, a junior sporting a 13-0 record in his role as Port Angeles’ No. 2 singles player. Even more impressive, Woods has yet to yield a set in his perfect run through the Olympic League’s regular season, defeating all 13 opponents in straight sets.
Woods, who’s seeded fourth in the 16-player Class 2A Olympic League Tournament that begins at 8 a.m. today at the Kitsap Tennis & Athletic Center in Bremerton, credits his coach for his development.
“He helps you strive to do your best and it’s helped me, I’ve gained a lot of skill, confidence for sure. Confidence in my shots,” Woods said. “Everyone can hit a ball hard, but you really need a lot of confidence to be able to hit the ball in and place it where you want it to go.
“And its not just me, he’s helped everyone on the team.”
Stockton described Woods as a well-rounded, versatile player.
“He has this terrific way of playing to about where his opponents are, skill-wise,” Stockton said.
“Hayden has all the shots. He can hit cut shots to keep ball in play and make opponents make errors. He can swing away and hit high-velocity flat shots with top spin, he can play baseline, he has a very good serve and Hayden moves around extraordinarily well.
He doesn’t go out to blow anybody off the court, he doesn’t, I don’t want to say toy with them, but he hits the shots according to his competition. When he gets pushed he has the ability to elevate his game.
“He drives his opponents nuts, frankly.”
Woods is an outfielder for the Port Angeles baseball team in the spring, part of a number of Rider baseball players swinging for the frontcourt and not the fences this fall.
“Baseball players seem to pick up on tennis pretty quickly,” Woods said.
“You’d think it would be the swing, but it is pretty different swinging one-handed. But being quick, if you hit a baseball you are going to run quick out of the box [to the base], if you see a ball hit to a corner in tennis, you are going to run to the ball. Being able to read where the ball is hit translates pretty well to both sports.”
Woods will be joined by Port Angeles’ No. 1 singles player Kenny Soule, and No. 3 Jadon Seibel at the league tournament.
The Riders have a challenge system, where lower seeded players can test a higher-ranked teammate in a best of three-sets practice match. But Woods was content this season to let Soule, his former doubles partner during his freshman season, play in the No. 1 position.
“Kenny and I are really good friends, he’s a senior and its his last year on the team and I want him to play that No. 1 spot without any worry of me challenging him,” Woods said. “He’s beaten me, I’ve beaten him, it’s just kind of an equal thing. He likes the No. 1 spot and he can stay there.”
Stockton said Woods is “happy with the setup, he respects Kenny and they are very, very good friends. Hayden has beat Kenny on occasion and Kenny has beaten Hayden.
“That’s the way they stand. They are great friends and Hayden understands that he’s the No. 1 player next year and he’ll get to play the best players in the league and I think he’ll be up to the task.”
Class 2A Olympic League Tennis Tournament
Kitsap Athletic & Tennis Center
Wednesday
Area Singles
No. 3 Kenny Soule (Port Angeles) vs. No. 14 Walker (North Kitsap)
No. 4 Hayden Woods (Port Angeles) vs. No. 13 Zeke Case (Olympic)
No. 6 Raymond Lam (Sequim) vs. No. 11 Jadon Seibel (Port Angeles)
No. 10 Liam Payne (Sequim) vs. No. 7 Zach Wyant (Olympic)
Area Doubles
No. 3 Blake Wiker/Thomas Hughes (Sequim) vs. No. 14 Meek/Schmidt (North Kitsap)
No. 8 Hunter Dougherty/Bo Bradow (Port Angeles) vs. No. 9 Damon Little/Tim Porter (Sequim)
No. 10 Kyler Tourbin/Brady Nickerson (Port Angeles) vs. No. 7 Bergman/Stuart (Bremerton)
No. 12 Lucas Jarnagin/Milo Whitman (Port Angeles) vs. No. 5 Adams/Singleton (North Kitsap)
