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University of Minnesota Athletics
Under the Helmet: Damarius Travis
9/10/2015 12:00:00 AM | Football
Most football players have a unique hobby apart from being skilled between the lines. For Damarius Travis, that hobby is bowling.
"I used to always bowl in high school," said Travis, who attended Pensacola High School in Florida. "The defensive back corps liked to bowl, so we went out and challenged each other a lot. Jalen Spencer (junior defensive back at USF) was one of the guys and we used to go bowling all the time. It was just the hangout spot, just to get away."
Travis, now in his fourth season for the Golden Gophers, has used his love for the lanes to fill a competition void off the field and bring together the secondary unit for the team. The tight-knit group enjoys the battles both on the field and in the alley.
"It's pretty intense," Travis said. "We get talking, but only your performance matters. We're always competitive with everything, whether that is battles with your position or out-competing each other."
Not only has the senior's affection for bowling been on full display, but his ability has his teammates talking.
"One day, we all went out together as a secondary to an alley and we had a tournament going. Damarius was one of the finalists and that was when I figured out he could bowl," said senior secondary member Antonio Johnson.
"He's one of those bowlers where you don't hear anything when he bowls because his motion is so smooth," fellow senior defensive back Briean Boddy-Calhoun said. "You can tell he bowls because his throws are straight. He's a really consistent bowler. There aren't many times where he doesn't get a strike or a spare [in a frame]."
Much like the 2015-16 football season, Travis has embraced a role of leadership with his teammates in the secondary, even going as far as giving a few pointers to his cohorts while bowling.
"When I see some of the guys bowl off to the left, I tell them to stay straight, keep the elbow up and finish through."
Sometimes, though, Travis's focus on helping his teammates better their bowling game has hindered his focus on his own game - at least, according to Boddy-Calhoun.
"We had a game come down to the last frame and Damarius choked to say the least. He almost had a turkey. He got the first strike and the second strike, which he thought won him the game. He thought he only needed to hit a few pins, so after he did that, he started talking. Next thing he knows, he lost by one point."
A loss every once in a while doesn't deter Travis from continually striving for higher bowling scores. It's this competitiveness in a hobby off the field that sparks a fire in the rest of the secondary.
"Bowling brings a lot out of him," Boddy-Calhoun said. "He wants to compete."
Johnson added, "You learn a lot about your teammates and how competitive they are no matter what they are doing. Obviously, we're all competitive in football but something like bowling that we aren't trained at, everyone is still playing like a professional in terms of competitiveness."
As far as a hot spot for the best bowling experience, only one place stood out to Travis.
"When I go bowling, I always go to Coffman [Memorial Union]. Some people say those are cheating lanes, but bowling is bowling. Any lane fits me, but I like Coffman because it's close and on campus."
Located on the edge of the East Bank campus, the Coffman bowling alley has provided a place of entertainment for Travis and the rest of the defensive back corps that is far enough away from the practice field, but close enough to make frequent trips for the whole group.
"We always do defensive back stuff," said Boddy-Calhoun. "We've gone bowling and go-karting but bowling is what we gravitate to."
Travis and his fondness for the lanes has added more unit cohesion and brought out a little spark from his teammates.
"Bowling is a bonding thing and we're all competitive, so we like to compete against each other," said Johnson.
Bowling has contributed in a large part in bringing together one of the closest groups on the team. With the defensive back slots expected to be filled by Boddy-Calhoun, Johnson, Travis and fellow senior Eric Murray, the experience both on the field and in the alley justifies why the secondary's culture of camaraderie can be crucial to the team's success.
Picking up a hobby that brings out an edge and provides off-the-field entertainment for him and his teammates is all that Travis needs.
"At the end of the day, we're all brothers trying to have a little fun and make it interesting.".
