SE: Crain and Romo’s Firefighting Fathers Set Positive Example, Find Friendship through K-State Soccer Connection in California
Nov 27, 2018 | Soccer, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Emily Crain's phone buzzed — a text from her father, Kelly.
The K-State soccer sophomore opened it. It included a picture of her father in his San Marcos Fire Department gear, standing in front of a fire truck. Beside the San Marcos Fire Department captain stood a good, yet somewhat unlikely friend in Gabriel Romo Sr., father of K-State soccer assistant coach Gabe Romo and a lieutenant in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
"(They) are really good friends," Crain said of her and coach's father, adding that "they were so excited" to see each other. She sent the picture on to her coach, who recruited her out of Temecula, California.
"Of course they would meet up," Romo thought when he saw it.
The two Wildcat fathers had ran into one another in Thousand Oaks, California. They were both helping fight the Woolsey Fire, which killed at least three people, destroyed nearly 100,000 acres in southern California and was contained last week, nearly two weeks after it began. It was part of the most destructive and deadly wildfire season in the state's history.
Each got to this picture in very different ways.
Romo's father was born in Mexico but moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He began a career in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, working as an officer in a prison. After 20-plus years in that role, he got an opportunity to try something new through California's Conservation (Fire) Camp Program. In a nutshell, the program trains qualified inmates who volunteer to help fight wildfires. Throughout the state, there are 44 fire camps that include about 3,700 inmates. Romo's father now leads one of them.
Crain's father has been a firefighter for the last 23 years in California. He worked his way up to captain, one of the highest positions in a fire department, and battled countless wildfires along the way. With him being based out of southern California, Crain said her father has protected a fair amount of celebrities' houses along the way, most recently those of legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, Joe Rogan and Kim Kardashian. While a fun side note, he's helped protect more than most can fathom.
"He's definitely a hero," Crain said.
Growing up with fathers who put their lives on the line on a regular basis, Crain and Romo agreed, was not as stressful for them as it might sound. But for different reasons.
Romo was in college, playing soccer at Kansas Wesleyan, when his father got involved with the Fire Camp Program. Because of this, Romo said he was emotionally mature enough to handle the idea of his father going into dangerous situations. Now, his father ranks high enough that he's rarely on the front lines and provides more strategic leadership.
Crain, on the other hand, does not know any different. Her father has been in the firefighting business longer than she's been alive.
"It's my normal," she said.
Still, both can remember times when the risks their fathers take in their jobs really sunk in.
For Romo, it was in August of 2009 during the Station Fire in Los Angeles County. It was the state's largest wildfire of the season and claimed the lives of two firefighters, both of whom Romo's father knew well. Romo said he remembers his father calling him that night in tears.
"That's kind of what put me on high alert," Romo said, who now texts his father frequently when he knows he's at a fire. "It kind of made it hit home."
Crain said her father does not talk a lot about the close encounters he's had, but she did recall a time he brought one up. They were driving by an area destroyed by a fire he was on about a year after it happened.
"He goes, 'I almost died right there,'" Crain recalled. "I know he's a safe guy but, at the same time, he's going to do whatever he can to keep others safe. If that means risking his life, he's going to do it. I just trust him."
The two fathers' impact goes well beyond their careers, too.
Romo's father, as well as his mother, willed their way to a successful life in the United States. Their journey is now a daily motivation for Romo.
"Seeing them come here from another country and work their butts off to be something," Romo said, "it kind of makes me strive to be that same way and work my tail off and try to make them proud."
Crain said her father passed down an intensity, drive and ability to lead. She uses all three as a center back for the Wildcats. By his example, she said she's also learned to be all in for everything she does.
"As a dad, he's always been all in. Even as a K-State fan, he's a firefighter and they obviously have a demanding schedule sometimes, but he was at every single Big 12 game except for two or three, so he was traveling and I saw him all the time," she said. "He is completely all in for everything he does, not only him being a firefighter but just how he is as a dad and a fan of K-State."
This passion for K-State started when Crain committed to play for the Wildcats as a sophomore in high school. Around the same time, her and Gabe's fathers got connected. Now, they are good friends who, because of their children, share an extreme passion for K-State.
"They were both at the Santa Clara game, and they are so loud together. I could hear them cheering. One would scream and then the other would scream and they would go back and forth with each other," Crain said. "It was my first start, and everyone at his fire station in his city, every single station in San Marcos, was streaming the game.
"He thought that was really cool because when we're talking about family, it's not just here, it's everywhere. All the way in California, everyone's part of this family."
The same goes for Romo's father.
"The love my dad has for K-State now is amazing. He wears purple almost every day. He watches every game, and I don't just mean soccer," Romo said. "He will be a lifelong Wildcat fan and will always wear his purple."
Emily Crain's phone buzzed — a text from her father, Kelly.
The K-State soccer sophomore opened it. It included a picture of her father in his San Marcos Fire Department gear, standing in front of a fire truck. Beside the San Marcos Fire Department captain stood a good, yet somewhat unlikely friend in Gabriel Romo Sr., father of K-State soccer assistant coach Gabe Romo and a lieutenant in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
"(They) are really good friends," Crain said of her and coach's father, adding that "they were so excited" to see each other. She sent the picture on to her coach, who recruited her out of Temecula, California.
"Of course they would meet up," Romo thought when he saw it.
The two Wildcat fathers had ran into one another in Thousand Oaks, California. They were both helping fight the Woolsey Fire, which killed at least three people, destroyed nearly 100,000 acres in southern California and was contained last week, nearly two weeks after it began. It was part of the most destructive and deadly wildfire season in the state's history.
Each got to this picture in very different ways.
Romo's father was born in Mexico but moved to the United States in the early 1980s. He began a career in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, working as an officer in a prison. After 20-plus years in that role, he got an opportunity to try something new through California's Conservation (Fire) Camp Program. In a nutshell, the program trains qualified inmates who volunteer to help fight wildfires. Throughout the state, there are 44 fire camps that include about 3,700 inmates. Romo's father now leads one of them.
Crain's father has been a firefighter for the last 23 years in California. He worked his way up to captain, one of the highest positions in a fire department, and battled countless wildfires along the way. With him being based out of southern California, Crain said her father has protected a fair amount of celebrities' houses along the way, most recently those of legendary broadcaster Vin Scully, Joe Rogan and Kim Kardashian. While a fun side note, he's helped protect more than most can fathom.
"He's definitely a hero," Crain said.
Growing up with fathers who put their lives on the line on a regular basis, Crain and Romo agreed, was not as stressful for them as it might sound. But for different reasons.
Romo was in college, playing soccer at Kansas Wesleyan, when his father got involved with the Fire Camp Program. Because of this, Romo said he was emotionally mature enough to handle the idea of his father going into dangerous situations. Now, his father ranks high enough that he's rarely on the front lines and provides more strategic leadership.
Crain, on the other hand, does not know any different. Her father has been in the firefighting business longer than she's been alive.
"It's my normal," she said.
Still, both can remember times when the risks their fathers take in their jobs really sunk in.
For Romo, it was in August of 2009 during the Station Fire in Los Angeles County. It was the state's largest wildfire of the season and claimed the lives of two firefighters, both of whom Romo's father knew well. Romo said he remembers his father calling him that night in tears.
"That's kind of what put me on high alert," Romo said, who now texts his father frequently when he knows he's at a fire. "It kind of made it hit home."
Crain said her father does not talk a lot about the close encounters he's had, but she did recall a time he brought one up. They were driving by an area destroyed by a fire he was on about a year after it happened.
"He goes, 'I almost died right there,'" Crain recalled. "I know he's a safe guy but, at the same time, he's going to do whatever he can to keep others safe. If that means risking his life, he's going to do it. I just trust him."
The two fathers' impact goes well beyond their careers, too.
Romo's father, as well as his mother, willed their way to a successful life in the United States. Their journey is now a daily motivation for Romo.
"Seeing them come here from another country and work their butts off to be something," Romo said, "it kind of makes me strive to be that same way and work my tail off and try to make them proud."
Crain said her father passed down an intensity, drive and ability to lead. She uses all three as a center back for the Wildcats. By his example, she said she's also learned to be all in for everything she does.
"As a dad, he's always been all in. Even as a K-State fan, he's a firefighter and they obviously have a demanding schedule sometimes, but he was at every single Big 12 game except for two or three, so he was traveling and I saw him all the time," she said. "He is completely all in for everything he does, not only him being a firefighter but just how he is as a dad and a fan of K-State."
This passion for K-State started when Crain committed to play for the Wildcats as a sophomore in high school. Around the same time, her and Gabe's fathers got connected. Now, they are good friends who, because of their children, share an extreme passion for K-State.
"They were both at the Santa Clara game, and they are so loud together. I could hear them cheering. One would scream and then the other would scream and they would go back and forth with each other," Crain said. "It was my first start, and everyone at his fire station in his city, every single station in San Marcos, was streaming the game.
"He thought that was really cool because when we're talking about family, it's not just here, it's everywhere. All the way in California, everyone's part of this family."
The same goes for Romo's father.
"The love my dad has for K-State now is amazing. He wears purple almost every day. He watches every game, and I don't just mean soccer," Romo said. "He will be a lifelong Wildcat fan and will always wear his purple."
Players Mentioned
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