Stepping into the famous SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, students were immersed in the everyday life of athletic trainers. Students in the Sports Medicine Career Technical Education (CTE) pathway class visited the stadium on Friday, Feb. 27.
The trip aimed to expose students to the daily routines of professional athletic trainers. Initial planning for the trip started in December of 2025 when sports medicine teacher, Victoria Vidales, started discussing plans with a representative from SoFi Stadium. Around 60 students listened and learned from the Los Angeles Rams’ and Los Angeles Chargers’ athletic trainers and toured the field and locker rooms. During the event, there was a panel of athletic trainers that answered questions that students may have had. The trainers discussed their educational journey and what their job entails.
“I think the [students] did have fun. [Many of them] have never been there before, so it was probably a cool experience,” Vidales said.
However, despite the initial excitement, Victoria believes that the visit fell short and that it was more of a tour rather than an event that incorporated sports medicine fundamentals.
“I wish [the SoFi Stadium] would have had the opportunity to do sports medicine or an athletic training tour for our kids. I would have loved that,” Vidales said. “I would have loved a little bit more time with the athletic trainers on the panel, kind of just having them come down and kids can ask questions themselves. I think that would have benefited our students a lot more.”
Throughout the trip, students were able to learn about the lives of professional athletic trainers, the hours required and how demanding the lifestyle can be. Students also learned about the different levels of athletic training. High school, college and professional athletic training vary in responsibilities and jobs because of different injuries. The students were also given advice by the athletic trainers.
“They talked a lot about [how] there are going to be some days where you don’t feel the best, and you have to pull or push through it,” Therapeutic Rehabilitation and Medical Pathology student senior Anthony Santos said.
Students were able to interact with other high schoolers from schools and had the opportunity to be on the SoFi Stadium football field. On the field, students had the chance to play football with other high schoolers.
“I thought it was really cool because I’ve never been there before and [that] I would not ever get a chance to be on the field again,” sophomore Megan Bui said. “I felt like the lecture from the trainers was very insightful.”
