Dedicated Athlete Helps Team Succeed
Taylor Gray, Sports Editor
December 2, 2009
Filed under Featured Athlete
Travis Parke, an explosive person both in and out of the water, is one of four skilled seniors on the LJA Water Polo team. Travis has been with Le Jardin’s Water Polo program since 7th grade, when the program was first established. Parke helped the team make the ILH tournament with the 3rd seed behind Kamehameha and Punahou. Parked aided the bulldogs to pass the Kamehameha Warriors with an 8-4 win, advancing them to the championship game against Punahou, Travis started and played the whole game against Punahou until he was ejected in the fourth quarter. Le Jardin suffered a loss, but Le Jardin still tied a school record for its best finish for the Water Polo program. Travis contributed with two goals in the tournament and countless numbers of smart plays such as assists, steals, and good defensive stands.
Travis’s favorite sport is surfing, but Water Polo comes in as a close second. Parke plans on pursuing Water Polo on the collegiate level or on a club team when he attends college. Travis’ most memorable moment of the season was the first game of the season when the bulldogs got the overtime win against Iolani. The Bulldogs were involved in a tough fight against the Iolani Raiders and at the end of regulation; the score was tied 9-9. During the overtime, the Bulldogs went on a 2-0 run to finish the game with an 11-9 win. Parke said, “That was by far the most memorable moment of the season; it proved that we were on the right track to make the playoffs.” Travis Parke’s long time dedication and hard work for our school’s Water Polo program set him up to become one of Le Jardin’s featured athletes.