Before the first pitch is thrown, the opening tip is made, the soccer match kicks-off, or the first serve of a volleyball match, Bob Grimes has already been at work for several hours.
On game day, the Yaks athletics trainer gets in early to prepare tape, bandages and other supplies that may be needed during a game. With six teams to tend to, however, Grimes doesn鈥檛 just focus all his attention on whatever team is playing that day. On a typical day, for example, he might be working with about 30 players who are at various stages of a rehab program.
鈥淲hether it's baseball, softball or whatever else there are always players coming in for their treatments, so I鈥檒l make sure they鈥檙e taken care of too,鈥� Grimes said.
Over the course of an intense season of training, practices and games, the odds are very high that most players will make at least one visit to see Grimes in the Yaks training room.
From Yakima to the big leagues
Grimes first started thinking about athletics training as a career when he was a student at East Valley High School. He and some friends had climbed into an apricot tree to pick its fruit when a fall resulted in a broken arm. While his arm was in a cast, the school鈥檚 basketball coach told him about a training camp where he could learn how to properly tape ankles. Before long he was doing the taping for a number of the school鈥檚 teams.
After high school, Grimes went on to study at Central Washington University, where he secured a job in the athletics department helping out in the training room and at practices.
While he didn鈥檛 realize it at the time, a life-changing moment came during his junior year, when Grimes won an internship with the Seattle Mariners in 1978 serving as head trainer for the club鈥檚 minor league team in the Carolina League.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where I got my first experience in baseball before coming back to school and finishing my degree,鈥� Grimes said.
ABOVE AND TOP: YVC Athletics Training Bob Grimes provides treatment to YVC student-athletes during Fall 2025.
After graduation, Grimes鈥� first job was with the Yakima School District, serving as equipment manager for the entire district and athletic trainer for Davis High School. But the previous internship experience with the Mariners organization would come back to pay dividends when the director of the Chicago Cubs farm system came calling to see if Grimes was interested in joining the club鈥檚 training staff.
For nearly all of the next 30-plus years, Grimes would serve as an athletics trainer in professional baseball, spending time with multiple teams, including 12 years working in winter baseball leagues in Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and other Latin American countries. But in 2022, he returned to the Yakima Valley to wrap up his career.
Ready for game time
In mid-afternoon, YVC players start arriving for any pre-game treatments that are necessary and get taping done before game warm-ups begin. Grimes also does a pre-game check with the visiting team to see if there鈥檚 anything their players need.
鈥淭hen we can do the finishing touches to get ready with the necessary equipment that might be needed on the court or field for any emergency situation and injuries that happen,鈥� Grimes said.
While a game is going on, Grimes keeps a close eye on players to monitor any signs of injury.
If there is an injury, usually he鈥檒l bring the player back to the training room for an assessment and treatment. In the heat of a game, an injury is a stressful moment, but with decades of experience under his belt, Grimes works to keep things as calm as possible.
鈥淎n injury is going to be emotional for the player obviously, so you need to be calm,鈥� Grimes said.
In some cases, it might be possible for a player to make it back into a game. In other cases, Grimes will start setting up a treatment and rehabilitation plan. And for more serious injuries, he鈥檒l set up an evaluation with an orthopedist.
Whatever the case, Grimes makes sure to communicate quickly and clearly with the coach.
When the game clock hits zero, Grimes鈥� day isn鈥檛 quite over. There鈥檚 still post-game treatments that he needs to attend to, whether that鈥檚 an injury that happened during a game or checking on a player鈥檚 pre-existing injury.
鈥淔or certain players it might just be getting ice to help with after activity recovery, or it might be using some electrical stimulation or other modalities like manual therapy, whatever the situation calls for,鈥� Grimes said.
Since he joined YVC鈥檚 athletics department in 2023, Grimes said the volleyball team鈥檚 deep post-season runs have been particularly memorable. In both 2023 and 2024 he traveled with the team to the Northwest Athletic Conference tournament, with the Yaks finishing third both years.
While Grimes knows he鈥檚 closing in on the end of his career, he still finds satisfaction in helping athletes performs their best.
鈥淚 think what I鈥檝e enjoyed the most is working with athletes who got injured, including those that had to have surgery, and I monitored their rehab and their treatment programs coming back and then got to watch them play at a high level,鈥� Grimes said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a good feeling to be part of that."
Story and photos by Dustin Wunderlich, director of community relations.