Roundup

Published: 10/30/08 at 11:49 PM PST Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jared Iorio Pierce freshman strong safety Kevin Boue (8) is checked out by trainer Shari Sipka, as other trainers look on, after leaving the game due to injury late in the 4th quarter of a 38-30 home loss to Santa Barbara City College on October 25, 2008. [Click to enlarge]

Behind every good athlete there is an athletic trainer, and since at Pierce College there are some of the best athletic teams among community colleges in the country, there are also two of the most skilled athletic trainers.

Shari Sipka and Leonard Ramirez have been working at Pierce for two years and 18 years, respectively. Their job is to evaluate players who get injured on the field, assess them, treat them, rehabilitate them and get them back on the field as quickly as possible.

Athletic Director Bob Lofrano affirms that they have a great working relationship and that they do a good job in getting the players back on the field in no time.

"They both work well together and they help our athletes. That's their job, to get our athletes on the field as soon as possible," Lofrano said.

Sipka has been out of college for only six years and that is the most difficult part of the job for her. She says she still has a lot to learn.

"I'm still learning the ins and the outs, having to deal with different coaches, getting used to different personalities. I'm still in that learning process where I've got all the education and now I just have to put it all together," Sipka said.

Both trainers agree one of the most challenging and heartbreaking parts of the job is to sometimes see players get injured badly enough they cannot come back to play for that season.

"The most difficult part is having kids that you start a season with and you have a bond with them and they are injured and are not able to come back," Ramirez explained, "because let's say they have an injury that would require surgery and they have to miss a year. That is disappointing."

Continued...

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