Bremerton tennis player Warthen much more than a one-hit wonder

During the early part of tennis season this spring when poor weather forced teams indoors, Bremerton High School coach Bryan Webb asked players to form a line inside the gymnasium to work on stroke technique.

While instructing another player, Webb couldn't help but take notice of a senior at the back of the line. This first-year player wasn't staring off into space or chatting with a teammate, struggling to pay attention. This student was mimicking the coach's forehand and backhand movements, attempting to get a feel for the strokes so she'd be prepared when it was her time to hit.

That student was Claire Warthen, who'll graduate as the school's valedictorian in June.

“I’ve never seen a kid shadow strokes in the background, trying to master something new quickly," Webb said.

Warthen and doubles partner Elena Andreu will be in action Friday at the Class 2A West Central/Sea-King Bi-District tournament at Kitsap Tennis Center. The Olympic League doubles champions can secure a state tournament berth in a couple of ways, the most straightforward being winning their first two matches. There's also a path to state through the consolation side of the bracket.

Warthen and Andreu, a foreign-exchange student from Spain, didn't begin the season paired together, but have proven to be quite a tandem for the Knights. The doubles team dropped only seven games over the course of four matches during the league tournament.

“I just love watching them play," Webb said. "It’s been so fun this year.”

Although Warthen never picked up a tennis racquet before this year, the game wasn't completely foreign to her. After the COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, Warthen said her parents decided to give pickleball a try, using their driveway as a court.

“We got a pickleball net over quarantine and we just played as a family on a few weekends," Warthen said.

As a standout soccer player who totaled 18 goals and 11 assists while earning Olympic League most valuable player honors in the fall, Warthen opted to try out for tennis this season after playing golf for the Knights for three seasons. She felt tennis would work better with her busy schedule considering she plays club soccer for Kitsap Alliance three days a week.

Warthen laughed when asked about being a first-time tennis player, noting: “There’s a list of things I can say for what’s the most difficult part about tennis.” What she lacks in terms of shot-making and experience, she makes up for with endurance and tenacity. She's accustomed to running all over the soccer field as a central midfielder and she displays the same type of effort between the lines in tennis.

“I think that the athleticism from soccer transferred over," Warthen said. "Because I have hustle, I think everything else comes easier for me."

Describing Andreu's serving ability as beautiful, Warthen said her own serves are designed for one thing: staying inbounds.

“My serves are scrappy, but they get over the net," Warthen said. "Then hopefully they hit it to Elena and she can just pound it.”

With a heavy course load that includes five Advanced Placement classes, Warthen easily could have opted against playing a high school sport this spring, but that's not how she's wired. She's been among the most involved students at Bremerton during her career: class president, ASB president, National Honor Society president, Link Crew president, tutor for the school's Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program, Model UN secretary general, member of the Black Students Union, volunteer Spanish translator, member of the school's wind ensemble.

It's obvious that Warthen likes to stay busy, but athletics has always been an important piece of the puzzle.

“I think sports has been that one outlet for me to kind of get my mind off of school," said Warthen, who helps referee games for Kitsap Alliance when she's not playing.

Headed to Willamette University in Oregon after graduation, Warthen said her studies will probably focus on political science and/or environmental law.

Whatever the future holds for the Knights' multi-talented senior, Webb is confident Warthen has the tools and the drive to be a success. She's been a standout every step of the way.

“She knows how to compete, she knows how to work. She puts the time in," Webb said. "She’s been amazing.”

This article originally appeared on Kitsap Sun: Bremerton tennis player Warthen much more than a one-hit wonder