The high tech equipment. The ice bagged and ready to go. Any ailment or injury suffered by an athlete can be taken care of here. The trainers room at WHS is often overlooked by your average student, tucked away above a staircase in a corner of the school, but ask any coach or student-athlete, and they will tell you that this room is vital to the success of Wesftield’s 30+ athletic programs.
Historically, Westfield’s trainers have had a good reputation among athletes and coaches, and they are thrilled to welcome back one of Westfield’s own, Chris Flores. Flores worked as an athletic trainer alongside current trainer Nicole Castellano, and former trainer Steve Barandica, who recently took a position as the athletic director at Monroe High School.
Barandica and Flores have a long history, and when Barandica was thinking about taking on a new job, he “reached out to [Flores] and asked if [he] would be willing to come back.” Clearly the answer was yes, as Flores is now seen at all sorts of Westfield sporting events, supplying athletes with the care they need.
Flores initially moved on from his position as head athletic trainer. Athletic director Sandy Mamary said, “When he left six years ago, we talked it out and he said he wanted to pursue his dreams.” Flores “had a lot of opportunities to travel with a company called Animal Flow,” which he still works with. He “did some training out in Taiwan and went to Thailand with them and was traveling all over teaching movement and training.”
Animal flow is the practice of bodyweight movements blending yoga, gymnastics and animal-inspired motions on the ground to produce a dynamic workout. This exercise technique uses motions that resemble those of animals to increase flexibility, strength and overall wellness.
Now, with two kids, Flores recognizes that this lifestyle is not so manageable. He said, “Being able to live that life for a while and having [Westfield] to come back to was phenomenal.”
After only a few weeks back on the job, Flores seems to be picking up right where he left off. Basketball coach James Mckeon III said, “Chris knows a ton about the athletic training world and the fitness world, and the combination of that knowledge and the nuance of how injuries happen and how to prevent them. It really is tremendous.” Castellano, who worked with Flores back during his first stint at Westfield, felt the transition was seamless: “We just fell back into the groove we had in 2015.”
Mckeon feels very strongly about the capability of the Westfield training program, saying, “We, no doubt, have the best training staff in the entire state.” He adds, “One of the things [trainers] don’t get credited for is preventing injuries. People feel comfortable going in there, it’s always packed which is great, but they do a great job of keeping people out of there.”
Trainers are often the first responders to injuries that happen during the multitude of athletic events that occur over the course of the school year. Not only are they responsible for preparing Westfield student-athletes for games and monitoring their health during events, trainers also care for opposing players in case of an emergency as they are often the only trained medical professionals on site.
With a whole year of Blue Devil sports ahead, the entire athletics community is looking forward to Flores’ presence. Castellano feels that “he is a huge asset to Westfield athletics, his rehab knowledge is vast and [she] can’t wait to learn something new from him.”
