Originally from Wisconsin, Travis Rae has served as the Sports Information Director and Champions of Character Coordinator at William Woods University for the past two years. As Sports Information Director, he provides statistics, team and player notes, and other information regarding WWU athletics to the media and general public. Recently, Rae sat down with Emily Barker ’19 to answer 5 Questions.
Q1: What does the day-to-day job of a Sports Information Director (SID) look like?
Every day is different. My hours vary depending on what games and events we have going on. A game day will look completely different than a day with no events. We have so much to do when preparing for a game and the days leading up to it: get game previews ready for the website, write releases, get the programs ready to go, and ensure that all the computers and technology are in good working order. It’s really all the small things people do not think about.
Q2: How do you coordinate sharing information about so many different sports on campus?
I am currently working with 16 different sports on the William Woods campus. I try to give every sport equal coverage by making sure that I have everything done early and get it online as soon as I can. All of the information I receive and write goes directly onto the Athletics website and we post videos, photos, articles, and interviews on our social media accounts.
Q3: What was it like to be named the American Midwest Conference Sports Information Director of the Year in 2017?
It was a great honor. I definitely didn’t expect it. We have a great group of SIDs in the conference and it was an honor to be recognized. I think what helped me stand out was the fact that I was always at games and events helping other schools in the conference. Whether it was capturing photos, videos, or whatever the team needed if their SID was not there. I was always willing to help out at every game because I wanted other schools to get the coverage they deserved.
Read more about Rae’s Sports Information Director of the Year award.
Q4: What is it like to work with Screech?
Honestly, Screech is difficult to work with at times. He’s kind of a night owl, so he would rather work at night than get up in the morning. It makes it unbearable at times because you just want to go to sleep, but Screech is wide-eyed and ready to get work done.
Q5: What has been your favorite William Woods athletic moment?
There are so many. I’m honestly just happy to be covering the student-athletes and giving them the coverage they deserve and promoting their great accomplishments. I love being able to support and be there for each team.
Probably my favorite moment this year was at the conference for tennis. The team was on its way to being crowned the 2018 AMC & Heart Conference Champions and going to nationals. I attended to get some pictures and videos to help promote them. All of the athletes were interacting with me, talking to me, and thanking me for coming.
It didn’t feel like I had been at a tennis match for 12 hours; it felt like I was part of the team because the athletes made me feel so welcome and appreciated.