Mother of 16-year-old who collapsed during soccer practice supports LSU’s new air-conditioned helmets

Ashley Roberson welcomes the addition of air-conditioned helmets to LSU football’s equipment room after watching her 16-year-old son die from heat stroke.

The program showcased air-conditioned helmets ahead of the upcoming college football season, and many were impressed by the cool factor and the evolution of technology in the sport.

For Roberson, it means much more. Her son, Remy Hidalgo, died three days after passing out during football practice at Denham Springs High School in Baton Rouge, LA, just 15 miles northeast of LSU.

Hidalgo’s death, like all heatstroke deaths, is preventable. LSU’s new helmets that will be used in both practice and games during the college football season.

“Heat prevention has been my passion now since my son collapsed and died,” Roberson told Mail Sport.

Hidalgo pictured with his mother, tragically passed away after collapsing during football practice

Roberson established the Remy Hidalgo Memorial Foundation three months after her son’s tragic passing on September 18, 2020 — three days after passing out during practice in Denham Springs

LSU Football unveiled brand new air-conditioned helmets for its football team this week

“I just feel like, you know, after reading some of these comments, when, you know, it was announced that LSU had and people just think it’s something that’s not necessary.

“It is much needed, and if they had to go through what I went through, they would understand my passion for it. This is a matter of safety.’

Roberson established the Remy Hidalgo Memorial Foundation three months after her son’s tragic passing on September 18, 2020 — three days after he passed out during practice and his temperature hit 106.8 degrees.

The helmets that will be used by the Tigers are made by Louisiana-based company Tigeraire, which shared a clip on its social media pages of some LSU stars trying on their new gear.

Tigeaire claims to “take away” dehydration, brain fog, fatigue and stress through the cooling air accelerator contained within the helmets. The Cyclone V2 costs $185 and can run for more than 300 minutes per charge on lithium polymer (LiPo) batteries.

The foundation has teamed up with Tigeraire to equip students at Hidalgo’s high school, Denham Springs, with the technology in their helmets to combat the heat and humidity in the often stifling South.

For every purchase, the New Orleans company donates $2 to the Remy Hidalgo Foundation. The 16-year-old Denham Springs resident is one of many high school athletes who graduated due to heat stroke.

University of Maryland football player Jordan McNair died at the age of 19 after initially collapsing during practice on May 29, 2018. He died two weeks later on June 13.

The Remy Hidalgo Foundation has donated 35 tubs in the state of Louisiana and one beyond

University of Maryland player Jordan McNair died two weeks after collapsing during practice and died of heatstroke on June 13, 2018 – two weeks after the initial incident

Fifteen wet bulb thermometers – which measure heat stress – have also been donated

Similarly, 16-year-old Zachary Martin-Polsenberg suffered the same fate and collapsed on June 29, 2017. Just 11 days later, he passed away after an off-season workout for Riverdale High School in Fort Myers, FL.

“I actually got the idea [to start the foundation] and base much of my what I do on another base, the Zach Martin Foundationhis mother Laurie Giordano started hers three years ago when she lost him.

“Jordan McNair’s dad has a huge foundation and I spoke to him too. I saw their passion for what they do and I decided I had to do something to hopefully help. I know this will be a never-ending mission, but I’m just trying to raise awareness.’

Roberson also supplies cold water plunge pools and wet bulb thermometers to football teams in the Baton Rouge area — both of which can dramatically help prevent heat stroke from exercise.

It differs from regular heat stroke in that it only starts with physical activity.

According to UConn’s Korey Stringer Institute, the most effective measure to treat the potentially fatal rise in body temperature is to cool the athlete down as quickly as possible before submerging in ice water. If such equipment is not available, the shade is the next best resort.

“You have 30 minutes to cool the body down to below 104 degrees,” Roberson said. “It’s the one emergency that doesn’t send you straight to the hospital. You have to get them cool and keep them in the cold tub. You only transport them when they are cool.

‘[If] their body has reached that temperature, and you don’t let them cool down in time, then they kick in and immediately go into organ failure. Usually the kidneys and livers start to fail first.’