Bayside prepared

On Sunday, September 28th, during one of our junior games, a young player suffered a sudden cardiac arrest. Thanks to the quick thinking and coordinated response of several individuals — along with the immediate use of an AED, which the club had fortunately purchased and kept in the clubhouse — the player was stabilized until paramedics arrived. We’re incredibly relieved and grateful to share that the young man is now doing well after successful treatment at BC Children's Hospital.

While sudden cardiac arrest in young athletes is rare, it can be a frightening reminder for parents about the risks of sports participation. The benefits of sports (including physical fitness, teamwork, and lifelong healthy habits) far outweigh the risks when awareness and preparedness are in place. In this incident, the cause of the cardiac event is still under investigation, although cardiac events in youth can be linked to underlying heart conditions, warning signs like fainting, chest pain, or unusual shortness of breath should always be taken seriously. The coaching staff have trained the players to take a knee and raise their arms in the air if something is wrong. The young man's parents are grateful for that training because they know it was a key factor in his survival. Our Bayside Rugby community is committed to ensuring quick access to AEDs, having coaches, players and volunteers trained in CPR, and responding promptly to symptoms. Events are key to keeping young athletes safe. Our goal is to make players safer through awareness, prevention, and readiness to respond.

With the support and guidance of Kim Ruether, the mum behind Project Brock, and we’ll continue to strengthen and refine our on-field emergency response plan, and we’d like to share the following updates and next steps.

  1. CPR and AED training
  2. Project Brock
  3. Available Support
  4. Warning Signs of an Undetected Heart Condition
    1. Family Risks
    2. Lifestyle Risk Factors
  5. Bayside Response Plan
    1. This plan is currently being updated by a response committee.

CPR and AED Club training

October 21st (5-8pm)
Bayside Clubhouse
Kim Ruether to host a CPR training utilizing a video-based, gamified program from Heart and Stroke, which teaches lifesaving skills. This training is done while using QCPR manikins, which provide real-time compression rate and depth feedback to participants, which assists in rapidly improving skills. This training will also include the opportunity to practice using a training AED, as well as demonstrations with real AED models.

Project Brock

At Bayside, we’re committed to making rugby safer for every player. On-field emergency response is a vital part of that mission, and we’re proud to partner with Kim Ruether and Project Brock to build a comprehensive training program centred on lifesaving skills and proper equipment.

Project Brock has generously donated $5,000 worth of emergency training equipment to Bayside. We’re now collecting donations to help ensure Project Brock can continue supporting the next club in need.

Big thanks to Live Well Clinic

who have generously donated an AED to Bayside. Having a backup unit near the field greatly increases our ability to respond to any future incidents.

Additional information and support

Activate warmup - https://passport.world.rugby/injury-prevention-and-risk-management/activate/

Contact

Please contact any staff member if you have any questions or input.