First aid and CPR are skills that can go unused for years, even decades.
Then one day thereβs nothing more important than having the ability to save someone in need.
York assistant girls track coach Niko Karavolos rose to the occasion last month and helped save the life of senior Chloe Peot, who collapsed while competing in the triple jump.
βIβve done the CPR training and Iβve been in the fitness and athletics industry for about 15, 18 years,β Karavolos said. βIn all that time, thank God, this is only once that itβs ever happened. So it was a surreal experience. It kind of was like an autopilot thing.β
Peot has returned to school and was cheering on teammates at the Lake Park Sectional.
She doesnβt remember anything that happened April 12.
βItβs been going really well,β Peot said of her recovery. βIβm thankful Iβve been able to come back for two weeks. It was cardiac arrest, but they donβt know what caused it or anything.β
Peot was competing for York at the Downers Grove North invite April 12. Karavolos, who coaches horizontal jumps and sprints, was standing near the triple-jump runway when Peot collapsed after completing a jump.
βThe Downers Grove head coach [Matthew Maletich] got my attention,β Karavolos said. βSo I ran over to her and realized something wasnβt right. She wasnβt responding to anything we were doing. She didnβt look like a kid that had just fainted.β
Peotβs mom was at the meet and they quickly called 911 while Karavolos continued to assess the situation.
βCouldnβt find a strong pulse. Breathing was irregular,β he said. βAs we were talking to the emergency response on the phone, it eventually got to the point where it seemed like the next intervention needed to be CPR. So I started chest compressions until the paramedics got there.β
Fortunately, Downers Grove North is close to the firehouse and Good Samaritan Hospital is about a mile away. Karavolos estimated he did CPR for three to four minutes.
Obviously, a track invitational is a hectic event with plenty of athletes and spectators. York teammate Kate Krupa described her view of the scene.
βI initially thought it was an older parent or something,β Krupa said. βThen we figured out it was one of the girls, then a York girl. Everyone was really scared.
βI had to throw during it. I was like, βThis feels really wrong.β It was just scary. We were all thinking, βWhy did that happen?β β
Karavolos and head coach Amy Lichon went to the hospital and provided updates to team members.
Peot was planning to continue track at Wisconsin-Whitewater. She has a stress test scheduled in a few weeks, which could determine if sheβs ready to increase activity.
Whatever the future holds, the message to this story is be prepared. Thereβs no telling when CPR training could become a vital, lifesaving skill.
βFor me, out of all this, I hope to really push the idea that even if youβre just a spectator or a parent that is volunteering in youth sports, there should always be education provided on this type of stuff,β said Karavolos, who has coached at York since 2021.
βSuch a simple couple hours once a year to really give a kid a chance to save their life if this ever happens to anyone else. Unfortunately, it will happen and thatβs why people need to be prepared.β
https://www.dailyherald.com/20240511/prep-sports/york-track-coach-stepped-up-to-save-fallen-jumper/