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| First Case of Its Kind; Coach Indicted in Heat Stroke Football Death |
On a 94-degree day in Kentucky, a heartbreaking heat stroke accident occurred of a high school football player. Max Gilpin, 15 and a sophomore, collapsed and had trouble breathing. He was rushed to Kosair Children's Hospital, where his temperature reached 107 degrees. Tragically, Max died three days later.
 The hot day will go on record as one of the worst days in the coach’s life. On January 22, 2009, a grand jury indicted David Jason Stinson in the death of a Pleasure Ridge Park offensive lineman. Even though the indictment is reckless-homicide and means that the coach’s actions were not malicious or intentional, the case is very disturbing to coaches of all sports across the US.
Concerning reckless-homicide, Jefferson Co. Commonwealth's Attorney Dave Stengel said, "a reasonable man should have realized something like this could have occurred." Defense attorneys are mounting in numbers with similar attitudes, “A reasonable man should have realized that something like this could have occurred – football is a dangerous sport – and through no actions known, did the coach cause the death.”
Compared to many days on the field for all athletes in all sports, 94-degrees seems mild. Most high school coaches are trained and certified and have training staffs available. The amount of awareness, education and qualifications has more then doubled, even in the last twenty years. Unfortunately, this heat stroke scenario occurs in many sports with athletes of all ages.
Gilpin and a second player collapsed during the practice in which coaches were alleged to have withheld water and continued to run players on a day when the heat index reached 94 degrees. The second player, a senior, spent two days in the hospital.
Dr. Fred Mueller, director of the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research at University of North Carolina, was among several sports experts who said Thursday they had never heard of a high school or college coach facing such an indictment.
 Mueller said the indictment of Stinson will be "an eye opener" for coaches who deny water to players.
Gilpin's parents, Glenna Michele Crockett and Jeffrey Dean Gilpin, have filed suit against Stinson and five assistant coaches in state court accusing them of negligence and "reckless disregard." The assistants were found to have committed no criminal act.
It is expected that the prosecution will be met with a rigorous defense prepared for the coach. Certainly, it is in public interest to set guidelines by medically trained professionals that all coaches should follow to protect the interest of the athletes. On one hand, common sense tell us that if David Jason Stinson is convicted, that all of sport will suffer and on the other hand there is strong encouragement for the education of hydration in sport and against denying any athlete water or hydration. |
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| Drinking Water Doesn’t Hydrate You! |
Water basically hydrates the balanced person. How often is an athlete balanced? The entire drive to excellence pushes the human body beyond its known capability, into a depleted, exhausted state. In sport, the epitome of excellence is not balance.
How does an athlete know they are hydrated? Athletes who have faced heat stroke will often say that it comes on fast and swiftly takes over without noticeable symptoms other then “feeling hot” which is a normal feeling in any vigorous sporting event.
Dehydration – Dehydration in physiological terms refers to the body’s water deficiency in terms of overall fluid.
Chronic Dehydration - Mild symptoms include thirst, tiredness, hot skin temperature, decreased and abnormally dark urine headache, dry mouth, dizziness and possibly insomnia.
Acute Dehydration – Occurs usually during extreme heat or rigorous activity and involves a rising of the body temperature, severe dehydration and often passing out. This dehydration can lead to hear failure.
 A simple, but not always successful cure for dehydration is to drink water. In more severe cases, correction of a dehydrated state is accomplished by the replenishment of necessary water and electrolyte rehydration through oral rehydration therapy or intravenous therapy).
The more severely dehydrated an athlete is the more it requires during the rehydration and recovery process. One single sporting event, an episode of the flu or a hot day can cause depletion in the essential balance of mineral and fluid. In these cases, not just any fluid will do and water may not be enough, although it is still recommended to consume water.
Not all waters and energy drinks are equal; some are loaded with sugar, which can provide energy, but can cause problems if large amounts of fluid are needed. Many athletes dilute sugar drinks to half water and half electrolyte beverage.
Never deny your thirst as an athlete and read the ingredients on the beverage you are consuming. It is often a good idea to “practice” with beverages and fluids before expecting them to hydrate during a rigorous game or competition. |
