Faculty Features

Travis Whetzel

Assistant Athletic Director, PE Teacher, Coach

EDUCATION:

BS Health and Physical Education from Bridgewater College

years at cds:

This is my 5th year

who is a coach you admire? Why?

My high school basketball coach was somewhat of a local legend. He coached at my high school for over 30 years. He was well known for his no nonsense approach. He demanded excellence and held you accountable. You never wanted to upset Coach Bergey. But Coach always looked after his players. He was instrumental in helping me find my first teaching and coaching positions and was there for me when my father passed. I can remember the times when he would load up his station wagon with current players to take them on a road trips to watch his former players play in college. There was a bond he was able to create with his players that would last a lifetime.

what do you like to do in your spare time?

Most of my spare time is spent with my wife and children. My daughter Olivia (8) loves to dance and my son Brady (6) is into whatever sport is in season. During the summer we are either at the beach, the pool, or out on the boat (when it’s working). We love being in and around the water. I also love to play golf and get out as often as I can. Sadly, it isn’t nearly as often as I would like. I play basketball, softball, and volleyball in the ‘old man’ leagues and still enjoy competing. Much to my wife’s chagrin, most things in our house are competitions. If I can find a way to turn something into a game I will, and I don’t like to lose!

what is your favorite spot on campus?

The gym of course! There is always so much energy and enthusiasm when students come to the gym for class. I also love to see our teams compete. There are so many valuable life lessons that can be learned through athletics and watching our students take on those challenges to work through adversity and to push themselves beyond their comfort zone to overcome obstacles is very rewarding.

what were you like as a child?

As a child I always had a ball in my hand. Whether I was dribbling a basketball through my house, playing football in the neighbors yard, or baseball in the parking lot across the street — I was always playing something. There were always neighborhood pick up games and if I couldn’t find one close by, I would tag along with my older brothers and play against their friends. My favorite memories of a child was playing indoor basketball on my Dr. J 7-Foot Jammer. I’m not sure why my parents allowed us to play basketball in our foyer, but we had some pretty heated games in there. And when no one was around to play with, I would pass off the walls to my imaginary teammates. Unfortunately, we knocked out a few lights and windows during those times!