Alex Ramos, Redwood’s beloved sports Trainer, discusses how he prepares for Cowhide and just what goes into being a high school sports trainer.

By: Ben Newell

Picture this: it’s a hot, sunny afternoon on the Redwood baseball field, plays are being made, and runs are being scored. But all of a sudden you hear a loud “oooooh” in the crowd as a player goes down. The pop of a dislocated elbow rings through the crowd. The team surrounds the injured player; the umpire calls a timeout, and the game comes to a halt. Who is there to help the player? Who is there to save the day? None other than Redwood’s athletic trainer, Alex Ramos.

For Ramos, Cowhide is just like any other football game; he’s there to help players and minimize injuries on and off the field.

Ramos explained how Cowhide Week is a big deal for the school and acknowledged that it can get distracting for athletes since their biggest game of the year is right around the corner.

Ramos said,” Things that I try to do are make sure [the athletes] stay on top of their rehab, staying on top of their treatment and recovery. Also making sure I’m talking to all the coaches and making sure we are all on the same page about who is playing and who isn’t.”

Cowhide can bring out a mix of emotions in the sense that players who are injured feel like they are good enough to play for the game. So preparations can change when deciding whether the athlete can play or not.

Cowhide is the one game of the season where both Redwood and Mount Whitney athletic trainers cover all games. This is because typically the athletic trainers don’t cover freshman games when they are playing away. Though, since this is both Redwood and Mt. Whitney’s home stadium, an exception is made.

When asked what changes in football player recovery at the end of their season compared to the beginning, Ramos highlights the importance of hydrating.

Ramos said, “One of the big things that I like to iterate towards the end of the year is hydration. It starts to get a little bit cooler, so kids start to think that ‘oh, I’m not thirsty because it’s not hot and I’m not sweating as much.’ So they don’t hydrate as much. So one of the things I try to get on them is making sure they are still drinking enough water.”

During football games, when not dealing with player injuries at the moment, Ramos is on the sidelines observing players to ensure they look healthy while on the field.

Ramos said, ” Any hard hits that you see, someone kinda slow to get up, or someone is slow to get up, I’m always running on the field to help. If I see someone get hit on the head, per se, or walking funky, or maybe lost some balance, I make sure that I go check on them.”

Redwood has a sports medicine class, and they do a really good job themselves. If they see or hear something that Ramos didn’t, they do a really good job of coming up to him.

Communication and good relationships are not only pivotal between the athletic trainers and coaches and players, but also between other school athletic trainers. Ramos describes [the athletic trainers] as a close and small community.

Ramos said, ” A lot of us, for the most part, went to Fresno State. So we are all pretty local, and everyone is pretty close. I’m actually in a group chat with the athletic trainers from different schools, so everyone knows everybody, and I have everyone’s contacts.”

This is a little bit into the life of Redwood’s beloved athletic trainer, Alex Ramos, and how he prepares and helps players for games like the big Cowhide.

Ben Newell
Ben Newell
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Ben Newell '27, is a senior here at Redwood High School and has been involved in Redwood media for the past 3 years making it his goal to tell Redwood's story. Newell is a passionate sports writer and social media manager for the Redwood Gigantea. You can reach him at [email protected].

 

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