<p>A high school classmate of my son’s died yesterday while at soccer practice at his college. He collapsed, was administered CPR, and could not be revived. I didn’t know him and my son was not close to him. Nevertheless – my God. How can a perfectly healthy 20-year-old man collapse and die? I’m heartbroken for his family.</p>
<p>That is tragic! Perhaps he had an undiagnosed heart condition. Unfortunately, this is often the case in sudden deaths during physical exertion.</p>
<p>When my oldest was in highschool, a 17 year old basetball player died on the court at a game. It was determined in the autopsy that he had an enlarged heart. </p>
<p>It is so sad when someone at the beginning of their life dies so suddenly!</p>
<p>You see this news item occasionally. Unfortunately some young people have undiagnosed congenital heart problems that eventually catch up with them during physical activity. Our area recently (last year) held a free heart ultrasound (echo) event (medical equipment, physicians and other personnel donated time) for HS athletes to aid in catching some problems otherwise unable to be detected on routine physicals. It is impossible (time/money) to run every test on every person to detect potential problems. It is likely they will find something like this. Tragic, but not usually avoidable.</p>
<p>That is so heartbreakingly sad. My 21-year-old just started his soccer pre-season yesterday and I can’t even begin to imagine how the parents must feel.</p>
<p>If this is the incident I found using Google, I’d say the best guess for the cause was heat. That makes it all the more terrible, because unlike an undiagnosed heart problem, heat issues are foreseeable.</p>
<p>In any case, a terribly sad event for his family, his friends, his teammates and his college. My heart goes out to them.</p>
<p>Wow. My H is doing sports physicals for the soccer team today.</p>
<p>Cardinal - how terrible if it was heat exhaustion that killed him!!</p>
<p>I worry so much about my son who started football two a days last week. We haven’t had a day under 100 degrees all summer (well, maybe a few ;)), but it’s HOT!!</p>
<p>On Friday, they had an open practice and from watching the kids, you could tell that many of them were really suffering. I know they try to keep them hydrated, but running around with all that equipment on in the blazing heat has to be really stressful on a body!</p>
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<p>Not always. You can have heat illnesses when it’s not hot. Really, the term “heat illness” is wrong especially when it comes to cramps. While yes it is more prevalent during periods of very warm, they still occur when it is pleasant or even “cool.”</p>
<p>Our club lost a 13-year-old boy a week ago yesterday. He’d had several fainting episodes playing soccer before, been checked by a cardiologist, but only at the autopsy did they discover a heart problem in a location that was hidden during the previous exams. Memorial service was Monday night. Heartbreaking.</p>
<p>In the incident I found (using Google News) the reports say the heat index was 110, which indicates there was a dangerously high chance of heat stroke for runners. Soccer players run a lot in practice.</p>
<p>Cardinal Fang, in what state did the incident you found occur? I don’t know if it’s the same one. There has not been any mention of heat being a factor that I’m aware of. (Of course, I don’t think they yet know a cause.)</p>
<p>This incident (the one I found-- I don’t know whether it’s the same as OP’s) occurred in Maryland, on a day when it was so hot and humid other local schools cancelled sports practice.</p>
<p>Nope. Not “my” soccer player.</p>
<p>I was told by one of the soccer moms from our HS that this boy had had a fainting spell once before, which they attributed to dehydration.</p>
<p>Apparently not.</p>
<p>The article I found said it was at a school in VA. What a horrible tragedy.</p>
<p>Yes, Northeastmom, it was in Virginia.</p>
<p>there are coaches who push training in really hot conditions. And if you have an underlying condition, the heat may be enough to trigger an episode resulting in death or hospitilization.</p>
<p>What was the temperature? I wouldn’t be surpised if it was hot.</p>
<p>did some checking. yesterday it got up to 97 yesterday in fredericksburgh, but according to weather.com, felt like 111</p>
<p>gee, that’s not dangerous</p>
<p>This is so sad. However, heat is a problem for anyone (everyone?). These heart problems can cause sudden death in an indoor sport like basketball. That happened to a boy that attended my D’s school - had undiagnosed problem and was a great athlete.</p>
<p>But heat related deaths are preventable and to even practice in that heat yesterday was reckless.</p>
<p>I expect there will be more info about the cause of death in the days to come.</p>