It would be hard to walk in Nyla Woods’ shoes. Not only because she constantly wins shot put and throwing competitions (including state), but because shes wears out her shoes so often.
“Nyla works very hard,” said Mike Judge, her Amateur Athletic Union, or AAU coach. “She wears out her throwing shoes once a month. She uses more throwing shoes than any of my other kids.”
Last week, Woods, a junior, became a champion at the Georgia High School Association Track and Field state meet for shot put. Woods has been a member of the Grady varsity track and field team since ninth grade, and made her second appearance at the state Championship meet on April 11.
Woods started throwing (shot put, hammer, weight and discus) in 2006 at the age of 10. After joining a local track team called the Running Panthers, Woods soon switched to shot put after struggling to find success as a runner. At a track camp, she was asked to an AAU team. Since then, Woods has grown as a competitor and now has several tournament wins under her belt.
Her first big win was last year at the New Balance Nationals competition, a national event for high school track-and-field athletes. She placed first at the event in the weight-throw competition among the Emerging Elite (the athletes that did not meet the qualifying standards for that particular event.) This year, Woods competed with the Champions (athletes that did meet the standards). While she set a personal record my two feet, she placed eighth in the weight throw. The top six athletes in the event were High School All-Americans. Woods has also competed in the Simplot Games in Pocatello, Idaho. Currently, she is trying to make the World Team to compete in IAAF World Championships in Ukraine for the hammer throw in July.
Woods practices daily and does intense workouts on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Coaches have set the goal of performing 400 hammer turns a day. She credits her dad as the person that has always motivated her and made her practice even when she felt lazy.
Her father, Dwayne Woods, described his role as supportive.
“My role in sports with Nyla is simply being supportive in any way I can,” Woods said. Woods also credited God for her success.
Wood’s success is also due in large part to her high work ethic.
“Nyla is one of the most dedicated athletes I’ve ever met,” said team Olivia Clay. Clay, a senior, has been a teammate on the Grady track team for two years.
Judge sees Woods as one of the leading youth hammer throwers in the nation, and predicts that she will likely be able to compete in Ukraine. While hammer is her strongest event, she also found success in shot put in the state meet. At the meet, it was announced that her throwing distance was surpassed by another girl, but at the podium she learned that the announcer had misspoke on the loud speaker.
Woods predicts that she will get a scholarship for hammer throwing. As well as enjoying throwing for the thrill of competition, she also enjoys it as a stress reliever. She also urges any newcomers to the track team to try throwing if they aren’t excellent runners.
In addition to throwing, Woods is also a high achieving student. She was recently inducted in the National Honor Society, and has received letters of interest from various high-level colleges and universities.
Woods sees her prospects as bright and plans to stay committed to track and field in the future.
“Track is pretty much my life,” she said.
