Galway Downs To Provide Medical For League Games

Amen brother. Amen. I am feeling especially charitable today so I will refrain from asking what type of physician he is. I have never met a credible ED or Surgeon/Trauma who would dare say something so stupid in a public forum after a tragedy.
Yet another soccer moms opinion from her Escalade with no global understanding of Pre hospital medicine or the scene.
And you understand global pre hospital medicine? I didn't know you had a medical degree with years of experience.
 
Surf has been providing similar type services for years at the polo fields. I agree with everyone who mentioned this should be standard operating procedure for all U13 and above matches.

I think its fair to say that all the better tournaments provide medical. From what I have seen, its the clubs and tournaments that have dictated whether the expense of providing medical would be undertaken. For a facility to mandate medical for all games, including league, is unique to my knowledge. With the new California Concussion Law and the increased liability to all participants (coaches, clubs, leagues, etc.) I think this should be the norm. Is medical provided by the Polo Fields (operated by Surf Sports) for regular league play?
 
AEDs are pretty much everywhere these days. And I'm sure you'll see even more of them on the fields in the near future. It just makes sense and the costs are decreasing so there's no excuse for venues to not have them.
Now as far as this sad and unfortunate incident goes..does ANYONE know whether or not CPR was started by anyone there at the field?
Was he unconscious but breathing when FD arrived? So many variables.
Prior to FD arrival if he was unconscious but breathing-no CPR/AED.
Did he have a seizure? Did he have this or that? Because unless anyone knows what really happened out there or if he was in fact in cardiac arrest then it's all hearsay. And if he wasn't in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived, without knowing any medical history on the boy, unless he was presenting with signs/symptoms of heat stroke there's not a whole lot anyone could do..even if you had 10 AEDs and 100 people trained in CPR.
Thoughts and prayers for the family. Sure puts life in perspective
when we sit here trading shots with each other on the Internet. Be thankful you still have your child with you to go out and enjoy watching them play this coming weekend. Be safe out there. ✌
 
AEDs are pretty much everywhere these days. And I'm sure you'll see even more of them on the fields in the near future. It just makes sense and the costs are decreasing so there's no excuse for venues to not have them.
Now as far as this sad and unfortunate incident goes..does ANYONE know whether or not CPR was started by anyone there at the field?
Was he unconscious but breathing when FD arrived? So many variables.
Prior to FD arrival if he was unconscious but breathing-no CPR/AED.
Did he have a seizure? Did he have this or that? Because unless anyone knows what really happened out there or if he was in fact in cardiac arrest then it's all hearsay. And if he wasn't in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived, without knowing any medical history on the boy, unless he was presenting with signs/symptoms of heat stroke there's not a whole lot anyone could do..even if you had 10 AEDs and 100 people trained in CPR.
Thoughts and prayers for the family. Sure puts life in perspective
when we sit here trading shots with each other on the Internet. Be thankful you still have your child with you to go out and enjoy watching them play this coming weekend. Be safe out there. ✌
I know that the the child's mother and the coach's wife attempted to perform CPR on the kid.
 
Many states across the country are starting to pass laws requiring automated external defibrillators (AEDs) at both school sporting events and health studios/gyms. California has a law urging all State K-12 public schools to implement AED programs. California also mandates AEDs in all health studios (except hotel gyms). Perhaps more importantly, California passed a 2015 law making it fairly easy for organizations to obtain immunity from civil liability for anything that might go wrong with their selection, installation, placement or use of AEDs.

Soccer tournaments are among the largest sporting events around (outside of road races/biking). So it's kind of surprising to me that there would be no AED standards established for them yet.
 
AEDs are pretty much everywhere these days. And I'm sure you'll see even more of them on the fields in the near future. It just makes sense and the costs are decreasing so there's no excuse for venues to not have them.
Now as far as this sad and unfortunate incident goes..does ANYONE know whether or not CPR was started by anyone there at the field?
Was he unconscious but breathing when FD arrived? So many variables.
Prior to FD arrival if he was unconscious but breathing-no CPR/AED.
Did he have a seizure? Did he have this or that? Because unless anyone knows what really happened out there or if he was in fact in cardiac arrest then it's all hearsay. And if he wasn't in cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived, without knowing any medical history on the boy, unless he was presenting with signs/symptoms of heat stroke there's not a whole lot anyone could do..even if you had 10 AEDs and 100 people trained in CPR.
Thoughts and prayers for the family. Sure puts life in perspective
when we sit here trading shots with each other on the Internet. Be thankful you still have your child with you to go out and enjoy watching them play this coming weekend. Be safe out there. ✌
In an interview with the coach, he said that his wife is a doctor and started CPR. If you have ever had to perform CPR, it is something that will live with you forever, especially if the person does not survive. I cannot even imagine what this poor family is going through and everyone that witnessed this sad event. My prays are with them all.
 
I know that the the child's mother and the coach's wife attempted to perform CPR on the kid.
The news article cited elsewhere states:
Felipe, who was playing right back, raised his hand to come out of the game in the second half, saying he was feeling tired, Strikers FC North coach Ron Esparza said by phone Sunday. He was substituted and sat on the bench, but the boy collapsed within about 30 seconds, said Mike Ornelas, who also coaches the team.
...
Esparza’s wife and a physician who happened to be at the event performed CPR on Felipe, Esparza said, but the boy remained unconscious. Paramedics arrived, and Felipe was taken to Orange Coast Memorial Hospital in Fountain Valley, where he was pronounced dead.
 
I point out its not as simple as having an AED on sight. You have to have a first aid staff certified in using them. You've also got to establish a field marshal system where the field marshals are trained in what to do in order to get first aid on the field quickly. At the last 2 tournaments I was a field marshal, I had my hands full basically checking in teams and keeping track of cards. Just checking in teams and managing the cards was confusing enough for many of the marshals (including the dear lady that replaced me who didn't have a clue of what was going on). What training I got was basically in checking the teams in, and just call headquarters if something goes wrong like a fight or medical issue. Many of the field marshals were chatting with their friends or playing with their phones when not checking teams in. Some of the field marshals are teenagers, some of them are older grandparents, all (except the teens) are usually volunteers. The refs have to be trained in what to do and often times if a player goes down they (unlike AYSO) don't stop the game until a natural stoppage in the flow of the game. Sometimes multiple issues are going on and head quarters had to deal with multiple calls....sure medical emergency would take priority but that requires training. Then the headquarters needs to be set up in an area where the AED can quickly be brought onto the farthest field. So to be effective, it would require quite a bit of planning beyond "have an AED on sight" and would function best if the field marshals were paid employees instead of volunteers and each field had 2 marshals (one to check teams in and one to monitor for fights and medical issues, though that will add a significant cost to the tournament).
 
I point out its not as simple as having an AED on sight. You have to have a first aid staff certified in using them. You've also got to establish a field marshal system where the field marshals are trained in what to do in order to get first aid on the field quickly. At the last 2 tournaments I was a field marshal, I had my hands full basically checking in teams and keeping track of cards. Just checking in teams and managing the cards was confusing enough for many of the marshals (including the dear lady that replaced me who didn't have a clue of what was going on). What training I got was basically in checking the teams in, and just call headquarters if something goes wrong like a fight or medical issue. Many of the field marshals were chatting with their friends or playing with their phones when not checking teams in. Some of the field marshals are teenagers, some of them are older grandparents, all (except the teens) are usually volunteers. The refs have to be trained in what to do and often times if a player goes down they (unlike AYSO) don't stop the game until a natural stoppage in the flow of the game. Sometimes multiple issues are going on and head quarters had to deal with multiple calls....sure medical emergency would take priority but that requires training. Then the headquarters needs to be set up in an area where the AED can quickly be brought onto the farthest field. So to be effective, it would require quite a bit of planning beyond "have an AED on sight" and would function best if the field marshals were paid employees instead of volunteers and each field had 2 marshals (one to check teams in and one to monitor for fights and medical issues, though that will add a significant cost to the tournament).

AEDs are frequently placed at locations where there is not likely to be anyone certified in using them. The American Heart Association encourages that practice, especially in locations that are at higher risk then normal to be the site of a heart attack, such as on the pool deck of my local senior citizens community center.

As for referees stopping a game to allow treatment of an injured player, a player's parents are the bystanders most likely to be watching the player even when the ball or game action causes the referee crew to direct their attention elsewhere. Every parent should be prepared to intrude on a game to rescue their child (or other children, for that matter) if they see an obvious injury that needs immediate attention - such as heavy bleeding, a displaced fracture or joint, convulsions, or difficulty breathing.
 
I think its fair to say that all the better tournaments provide medical. From what I have seen, its the clubs and tournaments that have dictated whether the expense of providing medical would be undertaken. For a facility to mandate medical for all games, including league, is unique to my knowledge. With the new California Concussion Law and the increased liability to all participants (coaches, clubs, leagues, etc.) I think this should be the norm. Is medical provided by the Polo Fields (operated by Surf Sports) for regular league play?

Every time I've been to the polo fields they have had at least one trainer, including fall & spring league games as well as all tournaments. The past few years RU (Rehab United) was providing people to work the medical tent or at least the ones I spoke to worked there. Surf Cup also had an ambulance onsite a few times in the past as I recall but not this year for whatever reason.

Fully agree that most larger facilities do have some type of medical most of the time and should be the norm as you stated. At Silverlakes last weekend we had to search them out on the other side of the complex but did find a very patient attentive trainer in the end. On the flip side my DD tore her ACL at OC Great Park in 2015...zero training staff there that day.
 
AEDs are frequently placed at locations where there is not likely to be anyone certified in using them. The American Heart Association encourages that practice, especially in locations that are at higher risk then normal to be the site of a heart attack, such as on the pool deck of my local senior citizens community center.

As for referees stopping a game to allow treatment of an injured player, a player's parents are the bystanders most likely to be watching the player even when the ball or game action causes the referee crew to direct their attention elsewhere. Every parent should be prepared to intrude on a game to rescue their child (or other children, for that matter) if they see an obvious injury that needs immediate attention - such as heavy bleeding, a displaced fracture or joint, convulsions, or difficulty breathing.

O.k. basically I agree but unless you have a plan to deploy the AED, just having it there is going to make it less likely of being any use to anyone. It just becomes a spare-us-litigation, or comply-with-the-law defensive practice.

I agree every parent "should" be prepared to intrude on the game. The question is "are" they. I think it's asking a bit much of parents, who we constantly drill into their heads they shouldn't coach from the sidelines (even though they still do) or yell at the refs but it's o.k. if you decide necessary to intrude on the game. Not everyone is as assertive as you. The coach? Forget it....too much fear of being thrown out particularly if there's an allegation the coach stopped a scoring opportunity. Different people's judgment about when to intrude will also be different (DYS grandmother wants to run out for every little scrape). Sure, a ref may not see the injury since his/her eye is on the ball (I've been in that position as well). But the emphasis on the ref training between AYSO and club soccer is very different, even for the U12 set. In club, the refs err on the side of not stopping the game (and without stopping it is difficult for anyone to assess whats going on with a player that's down). In AYSO, emphasis is placed on the refs stopping the game if a child goes down and restart with a drop ball if no foul is committed (I have yet to see a drop ball in any of my son's club soccer games and when I called one a few weeks back I was roundly heckled by "come on ref...that's not a foul...play on"). I'm not passing judgment on which approach is right....can see both sides of the story (doesn't make for pretty soccer if the game is always stopped, it's unfair if there's no foul called and a team is on a fast break, how are kids going to learn to play through it and adapt when they get older, it just encourages kids to flop)...but if our emphasis is going to be on making sure the kids are safe, then the refs should be trained to halt the game (if they see it) for potential injuries.
 
AEDs are frequently placed at locations where there is not likely to be anyone certified in using them. The American Heart Association encourages that practice, especially in locations that are at higher risk then normal to be the site of a heart attack, such as on the pool deck of my local senior citizens community center.

As for referees stopping a game to allow treatment of an injured player, a player's parents are the bystanders most likely to be watching the player even when the ball or game action causes the referee crew to direct their attention elsewhere. Every parent should be prepared to intrude on a game to rescue their child (or other children, for that matter) if they see an obvious injury that needs immediate attention - such as heavy bleeding, a displaced fracture or joint, convulsions, or difficulty breathing.

Today's AED's are so simple to use that even an illiterate person with no experience could use one. The AED has voice commands that will talk a person through the steps. I have had to perform CPR several times in my life and one time using a modern AED. The AED provided the instructions and actually seemed to help calm the situation down because you have to focus on getting the procedures correct.

I am at a loss as to why coaches are not required to attend a CPR/BLS class. I recertify my CRP/ALS certification every two years. The CPR/BLS class takes about 5 hours to complete and could be something that clubs could easily arrange for their coaches to attend at the start of each season.

Referees working youth games should know they need to stop the game immediately when they believe a youth player may be injured more severely than a scrape to the knee. What really pisses me off is when I stop the game for an injured player and the coach either flat out refuses to come onto the field and check on their player or takes their time slowly walking to the injured player. I wish I had the power to eject those uncaring coaches.
 
The very last thing anyone should be doing is questioning what did or did not happen from fifty yards out. These kinds of posts are maddening to me.
I am quite sure that a death has triggered a full incident review.
I am also quite sure that your husband would not want to be publicly asked about his opinion on what could of or could not have saved a young child's life. This is in poor taste and you do not know what was or was not available at this venue or how close said equipment was to the field
I disagree. We should be trying to figure out what can be done better to further protect all of our children and those still to come. A defibrillator is a life saving device that should be at ALL sporting events. Its portable and important.
 
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