On every sideline at Colorado State University, you’ll find an Athletic Trainer—quietly watching, assessing, and ready to act. Their job isn’t meant to be flashy. In fact, as Annie Lopez-Bauman, CSU’s Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Medicine, puts it:
“If we’re doing our job well, you’re not going to see us on TV doing stuff.”
“We just hope to sit on the end of the bench and not have to do anything,” Lopez-Bauman said. “But we’re also prepared for those emergency situations.”
That level of preparation starts with trust.
“It starts with the relationships and trust we build with the coaching staff and athletes,” she added. “We’re not just post-injury or post-surgical care. It’s prevention, it’s recovery, it’s performance.”
For Athletic Trainers like Nika Walker, changing outdated perceptions remains part of the job.
"Everyone thinks we just do water and tape ankles, but we do so much more,” she said. “We’re there from injury onset through their entire rehab.”
They know their athletes inside and out—physically and emotionally.
“I can tell from how you say ‘hi’ if you’re not feeling your best,” Walker noted. “If you tell me something hurts, I’m not going to hold you out unless absolutely necessary.”
That bond becomes the difference between pushing through pain and stopping something worse.
Whether guiding rehab, easing a freshman into a new routine, or helping a senior stay sharp through playoffs, CSU’s Athletic Trainers keep the engine running—and the Rams thriving. Read the full story here!