With the highschool sports activities season resuming, it could’t be careworn sufficient concerning the significance of faculties having athletic trainers to assist hold athletes secure when emergencies occur.
That was by no means extra evident than final spring throughout a monitor and area 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, contemporary out of graduating from Cal State Northridge, was instantly on the scene to guage. That’s when issues obtained severe.
“He didn’t have a pulse,” Rivas mentioned.
He decided the athlete from Inglewood Excessive was in full cardiac arrest.
He instructed considered one of his assistants to name 911 and the opposite to retrieve the AED defibrillator. He began compressions. He attached 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 be taught he wanted a pacemaker. The short 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 mentioned. “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 colleges 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 mentioned of faculties having an athletic coach.
