A junior defensive back at Western Carolina collapsed and died during a voluntary off-season practice yesterday. The workout was the first for the junior transfer who was joining the Catamounts from Georgia Military College.

The student-athlete had been removed from practice to stretch after complaints of cramping and collapsed after rejoining the team. The cause of his death is still very much unclear and it is unknown if the he had any pre-existing conditions that contributed to his death.

Stories like those from Western Carolina underscore a problem faced by many athletics programs: How do you protect student-athletes from the vast variety of ailments that could result in death or serious injury?

We've argued before on this blog that all student-athletes should undergo heart testing to prevent complications from unknown defects. But, is testing for the heart and other issues the answer, or do we also need to better train and equip our athletics staffs?

Rashidi Wheeler, who collapsed in August of 2001 during an off-season practice with his Northwestern football squad, was only 22-years-old when he experienced a fatal exercise-induced asthma attack. According to UWire, Wheeler's father, George Wheeler, has since created the National Sport Safety Organization and works to ensure necessary safety precautions are taken during competition and at practice. Wheeler has worked with paramedic professionals to come up with an NSSO Sports Safety Kit, which includes some essentials, including a defibrillator.

There are also common sense guidelines that coaches should remain diligent about, especially during hot summer workouts.

Last year the death of a Kentucky high school student-athlete, Max Gilpen, sparked a debate over proper training and hydration in extreme heat. Although a recent report investigating the case found that the coaching staff adhered to the rules and regulations of heat safety as spelled out by the Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA), Gilpen's death and the subsequent backlash against the school should serve as a warning to schools tempted to walk the line between safe and unsafe behaviors.

For his part the Jefferson County Public Schools Supt. Sheldon Berman (the district where Gilpen competed) announced changes that will have wide-ranging impact on Kentucky schools including:

• Expediting the new KHSAA rule requiring assistant coaches to join head coaches in attending approved sports safety courses;
• Requiring that each athlete and a parent attend a seminar on healthy habits, nutritional recommendations, injury prevention and treatment, medication and supplement use, and heat- related guidelines; and
• Requiring that every JCPS athlete list all non-prescription medications and supplements he or she is taking; this list is to be reviewed by the physician who conducts the student's physical examination prior to athletic activity.

So, what can be learned from these tragedies? How can we protect student-athletes in the future?