Twins Craig and Travis Baker say they’ve always had someone to wrestle after moving from town to town.

“He’s the hardest person to wrestle,” Travis says. “The only time someone wins is in that one split second when you mess up.”

“Cuz we know all the stuff we’re going to do,” Craig adds.

The pair played most team sports before finding their way to wrestling, their dad Craig Baker Sr. says.

“I wasn’t going to force them into something but they kept with wrestling,” he said.

They’ve been wrestling year-round since age 9 and now the 16-year-olds are looking to take their passion internationally. The Baker brothers recently signed onto a cultural exchange through their former school Todd Beamer in Federal Way to wrestle in Japan from June 19-30.

Travis said they were invited by their former coach even though they moved to Sequim more than a year ago for their dad’s new job.

“It’s a once in a lifetime trip,” he said. “They go every other year and we travel around going to different high schools and wrestle their top guys.”

“It sounds amazing,” Craig said. “Most people don’t get the chance to wrestle internationally.”

While the trip sounds amazing, the Bakers know the $2,800 per wrestler cost is doubly expensive, so they’ve turned to the community via giving site youcaring.com.

So far they’ve raised more than $2,000 but continue to seek support by June 1.

Sequim wrestling coach Charles Drabek said he’s excited the twins are putting in extra time in the offseason like this.

“We’re looking to have a strong senior class next year and I’m looking for us to do well as a team at the state level,” he said.

Both brothers are varsity wrestlers for the Wolves with Craig advancing to the Class 2A state Mat Classic for the first time this year. He went 1-2 with a 9-2 win but a 4-1 loss to fourth-place finisher Derreck Camba of Blaine.

Travis continues to compete well but he’s battled injuries in recent years. He says there have been issues with his back and legs and in the past year he’s gone to physical therapy so he could wrestle through the pain.

“It makes it 10 times harder to wrestle but I came back,” he said. “I’m hoping for a good outcome.”

This offseason, they continue to join the Sequim team in open mat nights and they travel three days a week to join the Vandits, a select wrestling team out of Kingston, which they travel with to various tournaments.

But Travis said their time here has been beneficial to them.

“I don’t think we would have done as well if we didn’t come here,” he said.

Both brothers have state ambitions for next year with Craig shooting for the top. “I think I can beat ’em,” he said.

But aside from fundraising for Japan, the brothers say they’ve never left the country so their next order of business will be taking their passport photos.

To read more about and/or to support Craig and Travis Baker, visit www.youcaring.com/craig-baker-and-travis-baker-563801.