Trevor Woods still has the newspaper, even though it’s yellow with age and tattered, as if it’s fought many weary battles with the reader.
The faded piece of newsprint is the May 31, 2001, sports section from The World, the local paper from Woods’ hometown of Coos Bay. On May 30, Woods had suffered a pole vaulter’s worst nightmare by no-heighting at the NCAA Championships at Hayward Field, and his hometown paper didn’t mince words on the subject.
So now, Woods keeps the newspaper stuffed into the bottom of his backpack, even if a normal person might burn it.
“If I feel like I’m lacking motivation, I can pull that out,” Woods said. “I don’t want anything like that to happen again.”
If Woods keeps his current torrid pace, he may never know pole-vaulting disappointment again. He recently vaulted 18 feet for the first time at the Washington Dual and the jump proved that Woods, one of the most heavily-recruited athletes out of Oregon two years ago, is only getting stronger, faster and better in his second collegiate season.
“He can be an 18-6-plus guy in college for sure,” fellow vaulter Cody Howell said. “In the next two years, he’s going to be one of the top couple of vaulters in the NCAAs.”
Ironically, the talented pole-vaulter with the strong Oregon ties almost missed the Hayward Field experience altogether. Woods won state pole-vaulting championships his junior and senior years and came out of high school as the No. 2 vaulting recruit in the nation. Though his parents are both Oregon alumni and he comes from a town rich in Oregon track history — Coos Bay is the birthplace of the legendary Steve Prefontaine — Woods said he didn’t want to join the sagging program in Eugene.
“There was no way I was going to come to Oregon,” Woods said. “It’s not because I didn’t like (former head coach Bill) Dellinger. I got a chance to meet him and he’s a great guy, but the program didn’t seem to be going in the right direction.”
But then Woods got a call from new head coach Martin Smith on the first day of recruiting. Then coach Smith called again and preached about the new direction the program was headed. Then coach Smith called again when Woods broke his leg playing football his senior year, and coach Smith told the young vaulter that Oregon still wanted him.
“They made it an easy choice, really,” Woods said.
Now, Woods sees himself as part of an Oregon track and field revolution. He thinks the Ducks are close to starting a track dynasty once again, and last season’s ninth-place finish at the NCAA Championships was only the beginning.
“Now that the program’s taking off, it’s kind of like you’re waking a sleeping giant,” said Woods, who then invoked the image of a successful college football team. “Look at Miami. They were good for a while, then they went down the tubes a little bit, and now that people see they’re coming back, everyone’s going to start flocking there. That’s what’s going to happen here, everyone’s going to want to come here.”
Woods is just the athlete to start that revolution. Humble yet optimistic, talented and enigmatic, he embodies all the characteristics of a successful athlete. His willingness to learn has enabled him to grow as a vaulter, and he has improved with each season. In high school he vaulted 16-8, then moved up to 17-4 last season, and now has joined the elite 18-foot club.
The sophomore’s next goal is 19 feet, a height that could qualify him for his ultimate dream, the Olympics.
“When I think about the Olympics, I think, ‘OK, I’m an 18-footer right now’,” said Woods, holding his hands 12 inches apart. “I’ve got to get one foot in two years.”
Woods also realizes the Olympics are a dream and he remains humble about his chances on the world’s biggest stage. But if the words of his teammates are any indication, he has already come far in his time at Oregon.
“Ever since he’s come in here, he’s developed his strength,” fellow vaulter Jason Slye said. “He’s developed his explosiveness and his technical skills.”
Slye and Howell are members of a pole-vault crew that has become close to Woods in his time at Oregon. Woods said that all the vaulters consider themselves equal when they step onto Hayward Field, no matter the individual results. Howell, who injured his hand, will not compete at the Oregon Invitational this weekend, but the rest of the vaulting crew will be there.
The Oregon Invitational is one of only four meets left for Woods before his return trip to the NCAA Championships in late May. While the NCAA meet is far off, Woods holds it in the back of his mind.
“Ultimately an NCAA Championship would be huge, that would be awesome,” Woods said.
“He’s definitely determined to go back there,” Slye said. “He has a good chance of going in there and winning the whole thing.”
Maybe then Woods could collect another newspaper for his backpack, a sports page for celebration instead of motivation.