Athlete of the Week: Derrick Woods
Derrick Woods is a star athlete on the Elkhart Memorial football and track teams and has aspirations of taking his talents to the next level.
January 21, 2020
Derrick Woods is an absolute stud, whether it’s juking people out of their cleats on the football field or leaving the opposition in his dust on the track, his athletic abilities along with his urge to be the greatest, makes him our Athlete of the Week.
GENESIS: When and why did you start playing football?
DERRICK WOODS: I started playing football in third grade because my dad randomly asked me if I wanted to play for EYFL and I just said, “Why not?”
G: What about track? How did that make its way into your life?
DW: I started running track in fifth grade. In elementary school, I played literally every sport, but track has always been one of my favorites.
G: Playing two sports and being a student at the same time isn’t easy. What motivates you to continue being an athlete?
DW: My family motivates me the most. I have family members who passed away or have been in jail for a while. It motivates me to go big and help them have a better life.
G: How big is your relationship with your teammates across both sports?
DW: This is about to be my tenth year playing football with Tyren Mason. Playing with him has always been fun. We compete against each other, but we also want the best for each other. Teammates are very important to me. We are all family!
G: Track season is coming up, so you have workouts for that and you’ve already started workouts for football season. How do you think all the training will affect your play on the football field and your speed on the track?
DW: I feel like working out for track and football at the same time will carry onto the field and track. You need to be strong and fast for both sports. So I feel like my teammates and I who are doing both right now will have a great season for both sports.
