Senior Spotlight: Hadley Goodvin looks toward bright future

Editor’s note: This is the first of many features on local spring senior athletes who had their final season taken away due to the coronavirus pandemic.

SANDPOINT — The past two years on the Sandpoint tennis team, Hadley Goodvin has earned the nickname “Big Dog.”

Several seasons ago head coach Kent Anderson came up with the nickname to symbolize the clear leader of the girls squad and that was Hadley.

“She’s the person on the team everyone looks up to,” Anderson said.

Unfortunately, Hadley didn’t get the chance to fully embrace her role as one of the Bulldogs captains this season, something she was really looking forward to.

Obviously, Hadley is disappointed she isn’t on the tennis court with her teammates right now but her mom, Tiffany Goodvin, is impressed with how positive her daughter has remained throughout the past month.

Hadley said she held on hope that she would get a chance to take the court this year when the Idaho High School Activities Association suspended play for the first time, but when they extended the postponement, the realization that she would not get to compete this season began to set in.

“I worked for so long to become a senior and then, all of the sudden, all of that has just been taken away,” she said.

Being stuck at home doesn’t suit Hadley very well. She is someone who loves to be outdoors exploring the beauty North Idaho has to offer so she is having a bit of a tough time making that adjustment. Tiffany is hoping her daughter gets that freedom this summer.

“It’s like keeping a caged tiger, she wants to be out,” Tiffany joked.

Hadley wishes she could have took part in her senior prom and is missing interacting with her friends at school on a daily basis but she admits being stuck in the friendly confines of home has a few pros. For Hadley, those pros are getting to sleep in and becoming closer with her family.

Hadley first picked up a tennis racquet when she lived in Wichita, Kansas. Her parents got her to participate in some tennis camps and once the family found their way to Sandpoint in 2012, Hadley joined the middle school tennis team in seventh grade that was coached by Anderson. She quickly fell in love with the sport and doesn’t know where she would be today without it.

Part of that passion for the sport might just come from Tiffany, who has been playing tennis most of her life.

“I guess she’s got a little bit of me in her,” Tiffany said about her daughter. “She would roll her eyes if she heard me saying that right now.”

Anderson has been working with Hadley for about six years. He said she quickly developed a flawless hitting technique and whenever he is teaching adults and Hadley is around, he brings her over and has her show them how it’s done.

“She was one of those special kids right from the get go,” Anderson said.

Hadley was a quiet leader, Anderson said, that encouraged her teammates when they were down and made sure to tell them when they needed to focus.

“I want someone who leads by example and has a little bit of an edge to them because you can’t just go out and play tennis and just be wishy washy out there,” he said. “You’ve got to have that edge to really be a winner ... and that was Hadley.”

Hadley was hoping to grow as a player this season, make a return trip to state and cement her legacy on the program. Anderson said Hadley has become like a family member over the years so he was crushed when he learned she wouldn’t get one last opportunity to make a deep run at state. But, in his mind, Hadley had already left her mark on the Bulldogs.

“She wanted to be out there totally on her own,” he said, “and depend only on herself, and just go out there and live or die with what she’s bringing to the table. She’s a pure singles player and everyone on the team knew it.”

Hadley’s favorite high school memories have been on the tennis court but the one that sticks out most in her mind is when she went to state as a junior.

After graduating SHS, Hadley will attend the University of Montana. She hasn’t completely decided on a major yet but is leaning toward communications or journalism. Hadley is currently the reviews editor at the high school student newspaper, the Cedar Post, and has written about a wide range of topics during her time on the staff. She said the experience has sparked her interest in journalism.

“At first I had no idea what I wanted to do,” she said, “and then I joined the newspaper and I was like, ‘alright I kind of want to make something out of this.’ ”

For most of her life, Hadley assumed she would return to where she grew up and attend the University of Kansas. I mean Jayhawk blood practically runs through her veins. But she decided she didn’t feel like paying for flights back and forth between Kansas and North Idaho. Plus Montana has a great liberal arts program that she is excited about.

In the future, Hadley wants to live in Europe and has an ambitious goal of visiting every continent before she turns 25.

Tiffany said her daughter has a great sense of humor and is smart and adventurous. She can’t wait to see what Hadley does in the next chapter of her life.

“I think she’s ready to just go out and take life by the hands and see what’s out there for her,” Tiffany said. “We’re proud of the person she has kind of been molded into whether we had anything to do with it or not. She’s a good soul and I think she’s going to do something good in the world.”

In her own words: Hadley Goodvin

"I sure thought my last four months at Sandpoint High School would be a lot different than this. I was looking forward to enjoying all the fun and glory that comes with being a senior during the last months of school. Senior sunset, senior prom, senior skip day, and most importantly, graduation. As I look back at the last four years of my high school career, there are no bad memories. Even though our school only won Battle for the Paddle once, my sophomore year, my class won powderpuff every year. The halls and classrooms of SHS have always been welcoming to me and I want to thank all the teachers and administration at SHS for working hard with the students’ interest in mind. I will miss Mr. Hastings and his class for always making me excited about learning and many other teachers that have pushed me in the right direction.

My tennis coach, Kent Anderson, has been such an amazing influence to me and I will very much miss him, and my other coaches, Patty and Roger, being my high school tennis coaches. Kent always has a positive attitude with the team and instills confidence and determination in each player. I wish we could have completed this season because I was so excited to see how great the team would’ve turned out. I want to thank Kent for being such a special and influential person in my life.

Lastly, my mom and dad have given me the support I needed and taught me responsibility and independence. Even though my last few months of high school aren’t what I was envisioning. I am ready to take on the world outside of Sandpoint, thanks to them. Thank you Sandpoint for everything you have offered me: scenic drives, beautiful sunsets, my friends and drive through coffee shops!"