Pre-Season All-American: Travis Wright on Breathing Lacrosse

If you ask Travis Wright's teammates, they will tell you he is a great midfielder.  If you ask an opponent Issaquah has played this year, they will tell you he is a competitor, a play-maker, and a threat from anywhere.  Ask Travis, and in his understated way, he will tell you he just loves to play.  Wright currently leads the league in points, and is a face-off guy who can break about any ground ball into transition.  What makes a kid with asthma love this sport as much as he loves to breathe?  Read on and find out...

WALAX: When did you learn how to play Lacrosse?

TR: My 8th grade season was my first Lacrosse season.  This was the same year as most of the varsity players currently on the Issaquah team

WALAX: What coach taught you how to shoot?

TR: Adam Kurtenbach and Jordan Bayley taught me the fundamentals, and John Zulberti at a Walax clinic sometime ago taught me how to hide my stick with my body.

WALAX: How have you dealt with your asthma playing an obviously running-intensive position like midfield?

TR: Well, mental toughness.  I try to run through it, I work hard to not let it control my game.  Most of the time, it bothers me when I am sick, not necessarily from sports.

WALAX: For people who don’t know you, what are your school ambitions?  What is the most important factor in your decision?

TR: I don’t want to waste four years at just any school, I want to go to a strong school with a good learning environment so I can make a solid foundation for the rest of my life.

WALAX: Can you tell some of the younger guys what you do to better yourself as a Lacrosse player?

TR: Listen to what coaches tell you.  Critique is the best thing you could get from a coach.  Going to camps my freshman and sophomore year, I took what the coaches told me and applied it.  Wall ball is crucial- a lot of wall ball.  I like to try new things as well, just having fun, but working on your weaknesses more than working on your strengths is hard to do- but so important.

WALAX: What makes Lacrosse your passion?

TR: Growing up, I played most organized sports, including roller hockey, but Lacrosse has Hockey stick skills, running in Soccer, offense and defense of Basketball, and ALL of my friends play.

WALAX: So it is a lot of social scene for you too?

TR: Absolutely.  Nick Yaap and Riley Gevais is who got me involved, but nothing is better than balling it up with your buddies.

WALAX: Tell us what your most memorable Lacrosse experience has been?

TR: Wow, that is tough- most of my good times come from Lacrosse.  I would have to say, it was playing in the state championship, though we lost.  Hopefully, we will get another shot.

WALAX: What are you doing after graduation?

TR: I am playing Starz, potentially some box Lacrosse, Team Washington and then attending Western Reserve Academy in the fall.

WALAX: What do you feel like your biggest asset as a player is?

TR: Speed, hustle on ground balls, intensity and hard work I would say are my strengths.  With hard work comes results.

WALAX: A lot of people are wondering about why you didn’t play last year.  What was going through your mind during that time?

TR: It gave me a lot of time to think about my goals, what lacrosse means to me, and what good decisions teach you.  I guess what bad decisions teach you as well.  I have learned it isn’t what you do right that makes you strong, it is what you after something wrong.   I take my responsibilities more seriously, and I am more serious about school and Lacrosse so it has been a tough but valuable learning experience.

Travis will be attending Western Reserve Academy next year, in preparation for college through a strong academic courseload and rigorous Lacrosse program so he can fulfill his dream of playing NCAA Lacrosse.  He has become not only a talented Lacrosse player, but a grounded positive young man who is a role-model for kids who face obstacles every day in their lives.