Keith Candelaria
Ashley Reamer

With Keith Candelaria and Ashley Reamer as co-head athletic trainers, the student-athletes at San Bernardino Valley College are in good hands.

Candelaria and Reamer share similar backgrounds and experiences. Both are from Los Angeles, where they grew up playing sports — Reamer excelled in basketball and softball, while Candelaria was a quadruple threat in football, wrestling, baseball, and swimming. Before coming to SBVC, they worked at community colleges, and knew they wanted to continue down that path.

"I like the fact that I know I'll get to serve people coming from different backgrounds," Reamer said. "People who could have gone D1 but didn't have the grades, people who had the grades but not necessarily the skills to get to D1, or those who use sports as an outlet and to have some camaraderie."

Reamer became curious about athletic training during a basketball game, when she saw a woman taping up a player from the other team. She was interested in medicine but did not like hospitals, and found that athletic training is a "nice segue between sports, which I love, and medicine, so still being able to help and treat people so they can get past their injuries without being in a hospital setting."

While earning her bachelor's degree from Fresno State and master's degree from Chapman University, Reamer began developing her holistic approach to training. She does not just focus on injuries — she also asks the students questions about school, how things are going at home, and what they are eating.

“You see them as elite athletes, and as an elite athlete you need to be mentally sound and physically sound," Reamer said, adding, "My philosophy is yes, let's get you back to your sport, but I want to make sure when you get back you're better than you were you came in here."

Candelaria shares a similar perspective, and said he tries to "approach every person as a human being first. They really don't care what you know until they know that you care." He has found that once it is clear to an injured athlete that "you're invested in them," they open up and "give a better picture of what's really going on. They won't be timid or shy, and you can put together the missing links so you can properly treat them and help to the fullest of your abilities."

He first honed his skills as a firefighter and paramedic, where he spent his days having to quickly assess the needs of people in distress. Candelaria thought about becoming a physical therapist, but didn't like the idea of being inside an office and wanted to work with an active population. "I found athletic training meshed the two together," he said, and returned to school, earning his bachelor's degree from Cal State Fullerton and graduate degree from the University of La Verne.

Every day at SBVC is different, and Candelaria enjoys not just treating student-athletes, but also using their time together to give pep talks, reminding them of the greatness they can achieve after graduating and the importance of never forgetting their roots.

"I tell them this is a stepping stone to what ultimately is going to be success in your life, whether it's in sports or not, and to remember where you came from and try to give back to the community that got you there," he said.