The squeaks of shoes drag on the gym floor and the aroma of fresh wood is in the air as senior Celeste Mendoza quickly, yet precisely, wraps the ankle of a stumbling volleyball player. As the coach calls for a time-out, Mendoza rushes with water bottles and tape, making sure each player is fit to hit the court. Racing back to her chair to organize her kit, she only hopes her dedication will teach the new trainers on her team what’s expected.
Mendoza started her journey as an athletic trainer in her sophomore year helping sports like cross country, football and volleyball. Now, moving up to the position of president of Sports Medicine, her commitment and leadership skills are more vital than ever. Although the class of 2024 has departed from the team, Mendoza and the other senior trainers intend to teach the underclassmen the expectation of being one.
“I had to be the one for people to look up to,” Mendoza said. “The expectations that the seniors surrounded me with were very different than I expected. They were very intimidating and I didn’t want to be like that, I wanted the underclassmen to feel welcomed.”
Becoming the president of Sports Medicine, Mendoza’s perspective has changed on the difficulty in leading her team.
“I thought taking care of everybody was going to be easy,” Mendoza said. “There’s a lot of responsibility and I didn’t think about that.”
Now already taking on what the past leaders were tasked with, Mendoza is very confident in leading this year from learning and admiring what the past presidents did and what their mentality was.
Senior trainer Celeste Mendoza prepares her medical kit during team transitioning at the volleyball game on Aug. 20 at the Temple. El Dorado defeated the Harmony Tigers with a score of 3-0 on their first home game of the season. “The volleyball game was immense. I was cheering them on the whole time,” Mendoza said. “The girls played a very impressive match.” (Photo by Mia Jade Colmenero)
“I do feel very prepared now, I’ve been here the longest, I’ve seen leaders,” Mendoza said “They would never overthink what they were doing.”
It’s now become a natural responsibility for Mendoza to delegate tasks to the underclassmen. As participation and collaboration is key for a trainer and to make this club effective.
“We all have to participate, they signed a contract,” Mendoza said, “I always tell them that it is a lot to deal with during games but everything will be okay, to keep them motivated.”
Mendoza still has a lot of responsibility as the new school year has just started. In spite of everything, she has goals for her team to keep Sports Medicine succesful.
“I’d love to leave behind that I set a good example for my team,” Mendoza said. “I want them to know that everything is for the betterment of the club.”
