Sophomore Hayden Tanner has been playing hockey ever since he could walk, and is also a force on the tennis court. Tanner started playing hockey after his dad brought him skates at a young age and he’s been hooked ever since.
“I started hockey when I was like 6,” Tanner said. “It really just started with my dad bringing me to learn to skate and I stuck with it.”
Tanner’s grateful he did, because of the memories he’s shared with friends and teammates that he never would’ve met without the sport. While hockey is a major part of his life, tennis was his first sport and his first real passion.
“I started playing tennis when I was really young, about four to five years old,” Tanner said. “Mostly because my dad played tennis when he was a kid, so he would bring me to the park and play.”
He’s played club sports most of his life, but it wasn’t until last year that he got the opportunity to experience sports at the high school level.
His freshman year, he tried out for the varsity tennis team. With his work ethic and his high level of experience on the court, he made the varsity team as a freshman. As a rookie, he didn’t play 1 singles or doubles, but he still was a big part of a successful team that made it far in the playoffs.
Winter came along and as winter sports were starting, Tanner tried out for the hockey team. Even though it was the sport he had the least amount of experience in, with enough determination, he made the varsity team.
Despite his age, he was one of the best defenders on the team. The coaches recognized his talent, leading to him having a starting spot in most games and playing among the most minutes of anyone on the team. Tanner wasn’t only on a varsity team, but he played a huge role in getting the team to the state quarterfinals in only his freshman year.
While he had to work hard to receive the experiences he had, he still loved every minute of it and was grateful for the opportunities in both sports.
“My favorite part of being on the varsity teams is just being able to be around your friends so much,” Tanner said. “The sense of community is really strong.”
Tanner has recently finished out his second year on the tennis team, where he and senior Will Hoffman made it to states, but unfortunately fell short in the quarter-finals. While he hoped to go farther, he has his mind set on hockey now and has been planning out how he wants to improve this season.
“My goals for hockey this year are to be more productive points-wise and have a positive goal differential on the season,” Tanner said.
