Parents: Student died on field doing what he loved
This story was reported by staff
writers CHRISTINA HERNANDEZ, EDEN LAIKIN, CHAU LAM, GREGG SARRA and PATRICK WHITTLE | It was written by Whittle.
February 26, 2009 The 17-year-old Mastic Beach rugby player who collapsed during a club practice lived for sports and couldn't be kept from the field even though he had a heart condition, his parents said yesterday.
Corey Stark, who his parents said had hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a congenital heart disorder, collapsed at about 3:30 p.m. Tuesday while warming up with a nonschool-affiliated rugby club on a William Floyd High School athletic field. Medical examiners have yet to release an official cause of death.
His parents, Marianne and Charles Stark, said he had been diagnosed at age 12 and was in the care of a cardiologist and taking medication. Marianne Stark said she did not think Corey's death was directly related to rugby activities because a heart attack could occur at any time.
Corey, a senior, did get medical clearance to try out for baseball last year, his parents said, but his first love - football - was not an option.
To play a school-sanctioned sport, William Floyd School District policy states that a student with a heart condition must first get clearance from a doctor, district officials said.
Corey's rugby squad, East Hampton Under 19 Rugby Club, required only a signed waiver indemnifying the club of liability in case of injury or death, said club vice president Rich Brierley. Brierley and two squad coaches said they were unaware of Corey's condition.
Marianne Stark said she saw rugby as a compromise, since she knew her son couldn't participate in football. The heavy contact associated with rugby made her nervous, she said, but she knew there was no way to keep her son, a sports fanatic, off the athletic fields.
"You could not say, 'You can't do sports.' You might as well say, 'Corey, you should cut your arm off,'" she said.
Corey's parents said their son lived for sports, especially baseball and football.
He was on track to graduate with an advanced Regents diploma, and college acceptance letters were beginning to flow in, said the Starks and school officials. The school's flag was lowered to half-staff yesterday.
Team members said they were crushed by Corey's death.
"He was also one of our best runners and best tacklers on the team. He was a shake-and-bake guy. He was this great athlete with an unbelievable, unforgettable smile," said Mark Richter, an assistant coach with the team.
Corey collapsed during the warm-up drills during the first practice of the year, Richter said. About 50 players were on the field at the time, sources said.
The rugby club fills out use permits and meets insurance requirements in order to use school facilities, a school district spokesman said.
The club is affiliated with Metropolitan New York Rugby Football Union and USA Rugby, said Brierley, who pointed out that, if known by the organization, Corey's condition would have raised a red flag.
"The entire rugby community is in mourning," said John Royal, manager of the Long Island Colts youth team, part of the Long Island Rugby Club, which is also a member of USA Rugby.
Most, if not all, Long Island school districts would require an assurance from a cardiologist that a potential athlete who has been diagnosed with HCM can participate in sports without risk, said Dr. Karl Friedman of Syosset, a school physician in six Long Island districts, not including William Floyd.
The condition is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in a high school athlete, he said.
Based on the results of diagnostic testing, the school physician, in concert with a cardiologist, would decide whether the student can play sports, Friedman said.
"You do not have to allow a child to participate," he said.
Suffolk police said they are investigating Stark's death.
A spokesman for the school district said counselors were on hand yesterday to talk to students.
"It was like mourning. Some people were crying," said one sophomore. "It was like a sad vibe all day."
