ENGLEWOOD — Prick Charlie Russo’s finger. Does he not bleed orange and blue?
The number of people at Lemon Bay High School who know of a time before Russo stepped foot on campus is few. His love for the school runs as deep as his tenure has been long.
“I mean, it’s Lemon Bay, right?” Russo said Thursday. “One of the things I tell people is that I usually don’t say ‘I work at Lemon Bay’ … I say ‘I’m at Lemon Bay.’
“It’s that old adage about if you do something you love, you never work a day in your life,” he added. “I don’t feel like I’ve worked here. A lot of these people are my closest friends. They’re like family to me.”
That’s why Kim Pinkham’s gambit on Thursday was as important to pull off as it was difficult to put together. The Lemon Bay softball coach wanted to surprise Russo on the final day of his three decades as athletic trainer with a pregame ceremony before the regular season finale against Mariner.
Alas, how do you keep a secret like that?
“Also, he hates surprises,” Pinkham said. “He hates them. The thing is, he has specifically told me over and over that he does not want to be celebrated. But that’s not right. Not for all that he’s done. So, we may have to trick him out onto the field. We have a player ready to lay down and play injured.”
Catcher Lauren Wise would be the one to drop behind home plate and fake an ankle injury like the one Russo treated last year.
“She was very excited to help,” Pinkham said.
The ceremony was set for roughly 6:45 p.m., but as the time approached, Russo was nowhere to be found. For a moment, Pinkham feared one of Lemon Bay’s other trainers had been assigned to the game.
What she didn’t know was Russo indeed was there. And he was getting suspicious.
“What are all these people doing here for a softball game?” he said to no one in particular.
When he arrived in the dugout, Lemon Bay’s players were in a huddle at the pitcher’s circle. It looked a wee bit as if they could be surrounding an injured player.
Pinkham, all business, told Russo he was needed out there, so he walked purposefully toward the gathering, only for the Mantas to part at the last moment and reveal a large gift box.
“I was very much surprised,” Russo said. “It’s … yes … they surprised me. Their plan worked.”
A momentary flash of annoyance gave way to smiles all around as the team settled in for pictures, then hugs, before Russo shuffled back to the dugout.
A procession of well-wishers — those closest of friends — streamed through at that point for more hugs and photos, then it was time to play ball.
In 30 years as a Manta Rays athletic trainer, Russo has seen the kids he treated grow, get married, then send their children right back to the fields where Russo could watch over them. Many people in the Englewood community know him on sight and many of those owe him a debt of gratitude for a bandage, an ice pack, a knee brace or … in a few cases … a swift kick in the rear.
“He has an incredible ability to figure out quickly if there’s discomfort or this kid’s in pain,” Pinkham said. “Or if this kid needs to be told to suck it up. He’s so knowledgeable and he’s just such an awesome guy.”
Though his training days are over, Russo said plans to continue teaching at Lemon Bay until the day comes that he and his wife, Nan, both can retire. In the days leading up to Thursday, Nan sat down at a keyboard and tried to sum up her husband’s career as best she could.
“To know Charlie is to love him, to have been treated by him … a blessing,” she wrote. “He has treated and rehabbed thousands of student injuries over the years, from bumps, bruises, broken bones and concussions to the most difficult: The broken heart of an athlete whose season was cut short by an injury. He has been known to shed a tear along with those athletes.
“Charlie has had an incredible impact over the years and has mentored countless students and led many into various careers in the medical profession. You can find many of these former students here in Englewood, employed as nurses, physical therapists, doctors and physician assistants.”
Pinkham, for one, is happy to know Russo will still be on campus in some capacity. Over the years, she has occasionally shared a neighboring classroom to Russo.
“I enjoy listening to him teach. He has taught anatomy, athletic training, he’s done physics, just a lot of different stuff,” Pinkham said. “He does our first-aid classes every year and people always leave saying, ‘Wow, that’s the best one I’ve ever taken.’”
What makes all of that intriguing for Pinkham is how that classroom acumen seemingly flies in the face of who Russo is.
“He’s just the most simple man. My son and I, we call him ‘CharLay’s’ because the man will only eat plain Lay’s potato chips,” Pinkham said with a laugh. “Don’t give him salt and vinegar. He wants plain Lay’s. He wants a plain hamburger and he just works his butt off for these kids at the school.
“He’s always here and he never complains, and I don’t think we’ve ever thanked him enough for all he has done.”
Recently, Russo dropped in to visit an insurance agent to see what he needed to do about getting on Medicare.
But it’s Englewood, so …
“I’m seeing second generations and even some third generations of athletes coming through here,” Russo said. “The other day at the insurance company, talking about Medicare, the owner comes up to me and says, ‘Charlie, you’ve probably taped my ankles a thousand times. You’ve taken care of me and everybody in this community for so long, it’s our turn to take care of you.’”
At that, Russo halted for a moment to stifle a hint of emotion. He recovered quickly.
“So I was really touched by that,” he said. “But that’s what Lemon Bay is all about.”
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