With the highschool sports activities season resuming, it could’t be confused sufficient concerning the significance of faculties having athletic trainers to assist maintain athletes protected when emergencies occur.
That was by no means extra evident than final spring throughout a observe and subject meet at Culver Metropolis Excessive.
On the finish of a 400-meters freshman race, a runner dropped to the bottom on his chest close to the end line. The preliminary impression by most observers was simply one other exhausted athlete from a grueling race.
Culver Metropolis first-year athletic coach Jonathan Rivas, recent out of graduating from Cal State Northridge, was instantly on the scene to guage. That’s when issues received severe.
“He didn’t have a pulse,” Rivas stated.
He decided the athlete from Inglewood Excessive was in full cardiac arrest.
He instructed certainly one of his assistants to name 911 and the opposite to retrieve the AED defibrillator. He began compressions. He connected the unresponsive athlete to the automated defibrillator. It suggested one shock. Rivas pushed the button. It labored. The shock introduced the athlete again.
Paramedics arrived inside 5 minutes to take over and transport him to the hospital. The athlete would study he wanted a pacemaker. The fast motion by the athletic coach helped save him.
Athletic coach Jonathan Rivas of Culver Metropolis.
(George Laase)
“This was my first cardiac arrest,” the 28-year-old Rivas stated. “I was super stressful. Honestly, I went on auto pilot. My main goal was to get this kid help as fast as possible.”
Nearly all of excessive faculties don’t have athletic trainers. Within the Metropolis Part, there’s solely 12 out of 71 which have 11-man soccer groups.
Adam Cady, an athletic coach for Kaiser Permanente, has began a nonprofit attempting to assist athletes achieve entry to trainers.
“It’s super important,” Rivas stated of faculties having an athletic coach.
