Chimacum netter Renee Woods is skilled with a racket, but it’s her grace and spirit which will carry her the farthest. (John Fisken photos)
The same could be said for Coupeville’s Bree Daigneault.
Tennis has always been viewed as one of the most polite of all sports.
Fans don’t typically scream during points, players applaud well-hit shots, they call their own lines at most levels of competition and on and on.
Now, there are some exceptions — the three years I played at Tumwater High School we were a pack of wild animals who took great delight in drilling each other in the groin with the ball as often as possible.
But, by and large, tennis stands as one of the last bastions of manners and good taste.
Having watched some Coupeville High School matches this year, both boys and girls, I have to say, the game seems to be at an all-time high for sheer politeness these days.
The Wolf girls, in particular, go way out of their way to compliment their rivals on a regular basis, whether they’ve just drilled a gorgeous shot or been the victim of one.
Now, it’s safe to say CHS singles ace Valen Trujillo would most likely serve her foes tea and cakes mid-match if she was allowed (she’s a top-notch baker and probably the most sincerely nice successful athlete I’ve ever covered), but she has a fast-rising rival or two.
Wolf junior Bree Dagineault is the queen of compliments, and she never seems less than 179% sincere as she bestows them on her hard-court opponents.
Friday, as she faced off with Renee Woods of Chimacum, she might have met her doppelganger and it produced maybe the most blissful match I have ever witnessed.
Now, this was a hard-fought duel, with both players going full-tilt, often bounding along the baseline and slugging it out.
But, in between every shot, they found new ways to rain down praise on each other, and, when they exited, without hearing the score, you would have had no idea who won by their expressions, which were both beaming and topped with smiles.
Now, I once drilled one of my own teammates in the face with an overhead ON PURPOSE (well, it wasn’t just once…), but these two young women are operating in a whole different world from us late ’80s ruffians, and it’s really incredible to witness.
At one point, the following exchange was made. I swear.
“That was a REALLY nice serve.”
“Thank you! Well, you made a REALLY nice return.”
“Well thank you! That was a great rally!!”
“It was, wasn’t it!!”
“Thank you.”
“Well, thank you!!”
It never came across as sappy or cloying or fake, just two really bright, really well-adjusted high school athletes living in the moment, thoroughly enjoying the experience and proving you can compete hard without being a jerk.
As they exited at the end, after much more two-way praise, Bree turned to the Chimacum coach and said one of the best things I have heard in 25 years of covering prep sports.
“That was fun! I like playing against really nice people!”
The entire match, from start to finish, speaks well of Daigneault and Woods, their coaches and their families.
Next time you read about something cruddy happening in the world of sports, let your mind wander back to this day, this match, and rinse your mind out. Let the sunshine in.
Be like Bree. Be like Renee. Be a winner.
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