As Colton high school sport trainer for all sports, Nicholas Lawrence Sanchez, sits in his trainer’s office wearing all Nike and sporting a Colton high shirt, he describes sports medicine in just a couple words. “Sports medicine is a field where one treats athletes by preventive methods, such as rehabbing, taping, physical therapy, strength & conditioning,” Sanchez states while tapping the pen that he has in his hand on a piece of paper.

The 26 year old says, “In general, sports medicine improves sports by making sure the better the athletes, the better your experience will be because the better players will be.”

“The training that goes with sports medicine usually takes 6 to 7 years,” the trainer states.

Laughing a little, Sanchez says, “Of course there is specific type of schooling, on to the next question.” Making ice packs for a student athlete with shin splints, Sanchez wraps the ice around the legs of the student, “The specific type of schooling you need is first aid, cpr, basic life support, physiology, athletic testing, and etc, some go as far as taking aquatics. You have to put so much time and effort into helping these athletes, for me I would say I would put hours, days, even weeks at a time into helping them; it really just depends on the injury.”

“We can tell what the athlete has by them explaining their injury and proper testing but,” making his point very loud and clear, “but we do not do clinical diagnosis.”