The training room at the Eli and Edythe Broad Fieldhouse was completed in 2008 and is equipped to handle a wide variety of injuries for Sacramento State student-athletes.

The $11 million athletic facility is located at the south end of Hornet Stadium and replaces the Hornet Field House, which was located where The Well currently stands.

Director of Athletic Training Brandon Padilla is joined by fellow athletic trainers Joe Ramos and Heather Farwig. They also have three graduate assistants and four undergraduate students that help with the day-to-day duties, oversee certain sports and assist the full time trainers.

Padilla says his staff is ready for whatever walks through their door and more than likely, they have seen it before.

“We treat everything from your common cough, cold sickness, athlete’s foot, physiological issues, eating disorder or rash,” Padilla said. “We are the athlete’s first line of defense and have to be ready for anything. Whatever the case is we’ll look at it and if needs to be referred to a doctor, than that’s what we’ll do.”

Padilla said a majority of the injuries come from the football team with various knee sprains.

“Football is a high-injury sport because of the contact involved,” Padilla said. “When you get 250-pound guys running into each other, something’s going to give.”

Ramos said the staff treats the knee sprains as well as most other injuries with their hydrotherapy and ultrasound machines.

“The hydrotherapy room uses thermal effects to help during an athlete’s recovery period. It stimulates the athlete’s immune system, influences the production of stress hormones, encourages blood flow and lessens pain sensitivity,” Ramos said. “The ultrasound therapy uses high-energy sound waves to help ease painful joints and muscles.”

In addition to the hydrotherapy and ultrasound treatment, the staff has a new X-Ray room located at The Well that helps with the detection of athlete’s injuries.

The hydrotherapy room, X-Ray room and ultrasound machines where not the only upgrades the staff received with the completion of The Broad.

A state-of-the-art 4,500 square foot weight room that has nearly every piece of workout equipment necessary for athletic training was also built, according to Ramos.

Although the staff is happy with the many improvements with The Broad, they say the wish they had more room to work with.

“We treat about 275 athletes in the training room and only have about 1,400 square feet to work with,” Ramos said. “When we have to tape 20-plus football players before practice, things can get a little cramped in here.”

Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson recognized the training room may not be ideal in size, but said the staff has

always been able to treat whatever health issue he has had.

“The facility is a little undersized and understaffed, but the athletic trainers make up for it with hard work,” Bethel-Thompson said. “What the staff doesn’t have in space, they make up for with effort.”

“The budget only allows for so much,” Padilla said. “Instead of complaining about it, you just have to make it work for you.”

Padilla has established a place that athletes have come to rely on, due to the high expectations Padilla holds himself and his staff to.

“We strive to be knowledgeable, have an understanding of what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, be creative and gain the confidence of our athletes,” Padilla said. “These are the things that make up a great athletic trainer and are all vital to our training room’s success.”

Brad Schmidt can be reached at [email protected]