Cari Wood has worked with a lot of student athletes in her 30-year career as Redmond High School’s lead athletic trainer. One of those students, Jed Keener, is now her dentist.

So when the crown on Wood’s tooth fell out hours before she was set to be honored during the Feb. 22 Redmond versus Ridgeview basketball games, Keener pulled some strings and was able to squeeze her in between appointments.

“Yes, he is my dentist and was going to be there (at the games) and he didn’t want to see me toothless in front of a big audience,” Wood laughed.

Fortunately Dr. Keener fixed Wood’s tooth in time. She was all smiles while being honored in front of a packed, raucous crowd shortly after the Redmond girls defeated Ridgeview 67-23 on their home court.

From afar, it was clear that Wood — who stood in the middle of the basketball court as students, faculty, and community members cheered her on — was emotional about the outpouring of support. Spectators held up signs with her name on them. After the ceremony, Wood didn’t have much time to breathe before she was smothered by colleagues as well as former and current athletes.

“I am not emotional because I am leaving my career, I am emotional because of the outpouring of texts and emails and messages on social media from former athletes from so long ago, and the fact that they want to make such a big deal out of it,” Wood told the Spokesman. “It surprised me how big it is.”

Wood is a pretty big deal. This year, she was inducted into the National Athletic Trainers’ Hall of Fame, and a pennant in her honor was hung from the rafters at Redmond High. But Wood said those thrills paled in comparison to watching so many of her former athletes grow into successful adults and start families of their own. That includes both of the coaches in the boys basketball game that night — Reagan Gilbertson of Redmond High and Maarty Leunen of Ridgeview.

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“One of the biggest blessings is to watch my former athletes grow up and succeed and do well, because you do get close to them in school,” Wood said. “And to play with their kids. My Panther grandkids are what I call them … it feels like it goes full circle.”

Sebastian Harris is a freshman at Redmond High. He will be on the track team this spring, and in other seasons plays football and wrestles. In football, he said, he dislocated his knee and almost broke his foot. He said he was fortunate to have Wood look after him both on the field and in the recovery room

“Today was my last day of physical therapy,” Sebastian said during the big games on Feb. 22. “She actually got me the brace that I was using and the crutches to go home. As a freshman, looking forward to the rest of high school, I am really sad I won’t have Cari Wood for sports injuries. I’m just sad that I won’t see her around.”

Sebastian said his mother also attended Redmond High and Wood served as her athletic trainer as well.

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Tatum Aeschilman, a sophomore at Redmond High, was also in attendance on Feb. 22.

“I’ve only been going to high school for two years with her, but I’ve been with Redmond for my whole life,” he said. “I just got out of a concussion and she helped me with that. She is amazing, she takes care of us.”

One of Wood’s former athletes, Leunen, was busy getting his Ridgeview team ready to beat their crosstown rivals. The Raven boys did just that, winning 52-50.

Leunen, who attended Redmond High from 2000-2004, spent his time there playing basketball and baseball and set him up for a professional basketball career abroad. He said Wood would help him navigate sports injuries.

“It is never good when you have see her, because it means you are injured,” Leunen said. “But me and her had a great relationship during my four years at Redmond.”

After graduation they stayed in touched.

“Early on in my professional career I had some lower back pains … I would give Cari a call and she would tell me to come in and she would treat me like I was a high school kid again and get me better,” Leunen said. “I think it is her personality. She has got that caring, loving, almost that mother figure type. Anybody who gets hurt, she is there to make sure she takes care of them.”

He said Wood made an impression on thousands of athletes over the years and helped keep them safe.

“At the end of the day Cari loves being around athletes, being around sports. I don’t see her not coming around anymore,” Leunen said. “She’ll be around. We’ll see her. And I’m sure if she has the opportunity to help, whatever it may be, she’ll step in.”