Mike Martinez, the beloved athletic trainer for two and a half years, is leaving San Juan Hills.

As the athletic trainer, Martinez developed a strong bond with the athletic department at SJHHS. Jared Aviles(11), a former athlete of Martinez, had a very close relationship with his trainer.

“Its going to be hard without Mike and losing the close connection we had,” said Aviles.

With the intense training that the athletes go through, it is very important that they have a strong trainer to help prevent injuries. Martinez worked very hard to ensure that his athletes were always well cared for, as he devoted many hours to working with the teams.

“Mike is always there for every team and he’s here 24/7,” said Patrick Landeros(12) a former athlete and student aide of Martinez.

Martinez wasn’t just the athletic trainer here on campus, he also taught the sports medicine class. Landeros worked extremely close with Martinez, and Martinez had impacted him in many ways.

“Working with Mike has given me so much experience, just hands on training and going to college with the knowledge he has given me is definitely a booster,” said Landeros.

It is clear that Martinez has had a significant impact on SJHHS athletes.

“It’s never going to be the same without Mike,” said Aviles.

Even though Martinez has left SJHHS, he still plans on keeping a close relationship with his athletes.

“My motto is once you’re my athlete you will always forever be my athlete,” said Martinez, “if anybody needs something in the future, I’ll always be around.”

Martinez plans to go back to studying at UC Irvine and hopes to eventually become a head athletic trainer at a university.