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PRP football player dies 3 days after collapsing • August 23, 2008
A 15-year-old Pleasure Ridge Park High School football player died tonight, three days after collapsing following practice.
Max Gilpin died about 10:30 p.m. at Kosair Children’s Hospital, according to Patti Killion, a spokeswoman for Norton Healthcare. She said she didn’t know the cause of death.
Max, a sophomore offensive lineman, and a 17-year-old senior had trouble breathing after a Wednesday practice in 94-degree heat, and Max collapsed, according to PRP principal David Johnson.
Both players were sent to Kosair Children’s Hospital. The senior, a wide receiver and defensive back, was released Friday morning.
Johnson said Max was resuscitated a couple of times while hospitalized. “The family decided not to do it again, and took him off life support,” he said last night.
“He was an excellent student, a great kid from a strong family,” Johnson said. “He’s somebody you’d want your son to be like, or if your daughter brought him home, you’d be happy.”
PRP athletic director Craig Webb said that Jefferson County Public Schools would have grief counselors at school Monday and that the school administration would meet Sunday morning to talk about the week ahead.
The school has tentatively scheduled a vigil for Sunday, but a time and place had not been set.
“PRP is a strong community and always has been,” he said. “We will band together and get through this.”
On Friday, Johnson said, “The doctors haven’t given a diagnosis of what caused any of this, but it would be easy to assume it was heat-related.” He said both players were in good physical condition and had been conditioned during the summer.
According to the team’s roster, Max was 6 foot 2 and weighed 220 pounds.
Also on Friday, Jerry Wyman, director of athletics and activities for Jefferson County Public Schools, said that he reviewed heat-index paperwork and took statements from Webb and PRP football coach Jason Stinson and found no wrongdoing.
“It’s something where you can do everything right and follow protocol, but sometimes young men and young women don’t respond well to (the heat),” Wyman said.
“Unfortunately, we see it more often than we like.”
Under Kentucky High School Athletic Association rules, special precautions must be taken at practice when the heat index reaches 95 degrees. Webb said Friday that the school’s reading Wednesday was 94.
Johnson said that the outdoor portion of Wednesday’s practice began between 4:30 and 5 p.m. and ended around 6 p.m. Both players exhibited breathing problems while gathering for a post-practice meeting, and Max collapsed, he said.
Johnson said three water breaks were given during the practice.
“We have hoses here that stay on constantly during practice, and the players are given a water break every 15 to 20 minutes whether they feel like they need it or not,” he said.
Webb said it was too early to say how the tragedy would affect the schedule for the football team, which is slated to open its season this Friday against Valley High School.
Please keep the family in your prayers. Max was in our Louisville Holland family.
PRP football player dies 3 days after collapsing | courier-journal | The Courier-Journal
A 15-year-old Pleasure Ridge Park High School football player died tonight, three days after collapsing following practice.
Max Gilpin died about 10:30 p.m. at Kosair Children’s Hospital, according to Patti Killion, a spokeswoman for Norton Healthcare. She said she didn’t know the cause of death.
Max, a sophomore offensive lineman, and a 17-year-old senior had trouble breathing after a Wednesday practice in 94-degree heat, and Max collapsed, according to PRP principal David Johnson.
Both players were sent to Kosair Children’s Hospital. The senior, a wide receiver and defensive back, was released Friday morning.
Johnson said Max was resuscitated a couple of times while hospitalized. “The family decided not to do it again, and took him off life support,” he said last night.
“He was an excellent student, a great kid from a strong family,” Johnson said. “He’s somebody you’d want your son to be like, or if your daughter brought him home, you’d be happy.”
PRP athletic director Craig Webb said that Jefferson County Public Schools would have grief counselors at school Monday and that the school administration would meet Sunday morning to talk about the week ahead.
The school has tentatively scheduled a vigil for Sunday, but a time and place had not been set.
“PRP is a strong community and always has been,” he said. “We will band together and get through this.”
On Friday, Johnson said, “The doctors haven’t given a diagnosis of what caused any of this, but it would be easy to assume it was heat-related.” He said both players were in good physical condition and had been conditioned during the summer.
According to the team’s roster, Max was 6 foot 2 and weighed 220 pounds.
Also on Friday, Jerry Wyman, director of athletics and activities for Jefferson County Public Schools, said that he reviewed heat-index paperwork and took statements from Webb and PRP football coach Jason Stinson and found no wrongdoing.
“It’s something where you can do everything right and follow protocol, but sometimes young men and young women don’t respond well to (the heat),” Wyman said.
“Unfortunately, we see it more often than we like.”
Under Kentucky High School Athletic Association rules, special precautions must be taken at practice when the heat index reaches 95 degrees. Webb said Friday that the school’s reading Wednesday was 94.
Johnson said that the outdoor portion of Wednesday’s practice began between 4:30 and 5 p.m. and ended around 6 p.m. Both players exhibited breathing problems while gathering for a post-practice meeting, and Max collapsed, he said.
Johnson said three water breaks were given during the practice.
“We have hoses here that stay on constantly during practice, and the players are given a water break every 15 to 20 minutes whether they feel like they need it or not,” he said.
Webb said it was too early to say how the tragedy would affect the schedule for the football team, which is slated to open its season this Friday against Valley High School.
Please keep the family in your prayers. Max was in our Louisville Holland family.
PRP football player dies 3 days after collapsing | courier-journal | The Courier-Journal