By Nick Brockman, Messenger Sports Reporter nbrockman@the-messenger.com
Summer's intense heat may have spared Hopkins County this week, but Wednesday marked the final day for local high school coaches to complete a mandatory four-hour training session to learn how to prevent and treat heat-related illnesses and other injuries.
The online course was created by the Kentucky General Assembly as a result of the death of Max Gilpin, a football player at Pleasure Ridge Park. Gilpin, a sophomore, collapsed during a sprinting drill during a preseason practice in Aug. 2008. Gilpin's coach David Jason Stinson has pleaded not guilty to reckless homicide in relation to the death.
Now, each Kentucky high-school coaching staff is required to take part in the session and the distributed information is designed to help coaches treat, if not prevent future injuries.
"It pretty much breaks it down slide by slide all the things we have to deal with injuries, heat-related (illnesses) and fractures," Hopkins County Central football coach Zach Hibbs said. "It goes into great detail on each one, so we know how to identify the crisis situation, and also how to act in a crisis situation. It's a very in-depth process."
During the online session, the program prompts coaches to answer multiple-choice questions about scenarios shown in the viewed material.
Though Gilpin's injury came on the football field, coaches in every sports season must complete the course.
"I think if you're going to make any coaches watch, make all of them watch it," Madisonville-North Hopkins boys basketball coach Marty Cline said. "It's the right thing to do. I understand the purpose and I agree we're trying to be preventative in all of our aspects of coaching."
The online course was created by the Kentucky General Assembly as a result of the death of Max Gilpin, a football player at Pleasure Ridge Park. Gilpin, a sophomore, collapsed during a sprinting drill during a preseason practice in Aug. 2008. Gilpin's coach David Jason Stinson has pleaded not guilty to reckless homicide in relation to the death.
Now, each Kentucky high-school coaching staff is required to take part in the session and the distributed information is designed to help coaches treat, if not prevent future injuries.
"It pretty much breaks it down slide by slide all the things we have to deal with injuries, heat-related (illnesses) and fractures," Hopkins County Central football coach Zach Hibbs said. "It goes into great detail on each one, so we know how to identify the crisis situation, and also how to act in a crisis situation. It's a very in-depth process."
During the online session, the program prompts coaches to answer multiple-choice questions about scenarios shown in the viewed material.
Though Gilpin's injury came on the football field, coaches in every sports season must complete the course.
"I think if you're going to make any coaches watch, make all of them watch it," Madisonville-North Hopkins boys basketball coach Marty Cline said. "It's the right thing to do. I understand the purpose and I agree we're trying to be preventative in all of our aspects of coaching."
In addition to advising coaches how to treat heat-related maladies, the training session teaches how to administer first-aid and head injuries like concussions, Cline said.
Hibbs said the course instructs to take the simplest measures like searching for holes or obstructions on the field.
Even though athletic events like football and basketball practices and games typically have an athletic trainer on hand, Cline said the course teaches how to handle emergency situations when there isn't a trainer present.
"We're all fortunate here we have adequate athletic training supervision around most of the time, but they're not here all the time," he said. "We're not always going to have a trainer around and this helps along with the medical symposium clinic we attend every two years and keeping our CPR/first-aid up to date."
Keeping a level head and not surrendering to "panic mode" is a key principle to maintain as well, Hibbs said.
"We want every situation to feel safer for the players," he said. "Those first moments after a collapse from a heat-related injury are the most vital. The course tells you we have to be ready to go through drills and practice drills before our season starts to ensure we know how they work."
Local coaches hope not to be called to employ the techniques and measures learned from the mandated training session, but feel prepared just in case.
"I think anything that improves the safety for our kids and also makes us more aware of a situation where we can help is good," Hibbs said.
Hibbs said the course instructs to take the simplest measures like searching for holes or obstructions on the field.
Even though athletic events like football and basketball practices and games typically have an athletic trainer on hand, Cline said the course teaches how to handle emergency situations when there isn't a trainer present.
"We're all fortunate here we have adequate athletic training supervision around most of the time, but they're not here all the time," he said. "We're not always going to have a trainer around and this helps along with the medical symposium clinic we attend every two years and keeping our CPR/first-aid up to date."
Keeping a level head and not surrendering to "panic mode" is a key principle to maintain as well, Hibbs said.
"We want every situation to feel safer for the players," he said. "Those first moments after a collapse from a heat-related injury are the most vital. The course tells you we have to be ready to go through drills and practice drills before our season starts to ensure we know how they work."
Local coaches hope not to be called to employ the techniques and measures learned from the mandated training session, but feel prepared just in case.
"I think anything that improves the safety for our kids and also makes us more aware of a situation where we can help is good," Hibbs said.
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