Travis Alig

A hero is someone you look up to, someone who inspires you to be a better person. Typically, a hero is someone who has had great success in their own life that you strive to achieve. My hero is my older brother Travis Alig. He was a free spirited teenager who loved to hang out with friends and to dominate on the sports field. He had phenomenal success in the football stadium and also on the baseball diamond.

Travis started playing sports at a young age, he found success early playing baseball. He was a natural athlete and always gave it everything he had to achieve victory. He always wanted to play the game. He and my dad would always go out in the back yard and Travis would practice fielding ground balls and catching pop-ups. He had a fire in his heart from the beginning that all of the parents and coaches saw.

As my brother got older, his drive for sports grew stronger, when he was only 10 years old he was playing in 12 year old select baseball leagues. Not Boone county, Knot Hole or intramural leagues, but teams you have to try out for and that travel the east coast. He was not only a great asset to his team but was the player who they selected to play in the All-Star game. In that game, he received the title of most valuable player. From that point on, our family knew that he was bound for greatness, and we definitely were not mistaken.

When Travis was in the 8th grade he tried out for Ryle's baseball but he didn't make the freshman team. He earned a starting spot on the varsity roster at short stop, he had just turned 14 and was out-playing 17 year olds. Travis is the only athlete in Ryle's history to accomplish this feat. As a freshman he earned a spot on the varsity kickoff team and has had a starting spot ever since. His junior and senior seasons he was a staring running back, quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. He could do it all. Travis still holds the RBI record, the most hits record and once held the most stolen bases in a season. He achieved these records without even playing his senior season due to his sudden death on Thanksgiving morning. Possibly the worst day of my life, he had a try-out scheduled. Travis is my hero.