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Football Practice in 98 Degree Heat

Submitted by John Rendleman on Wed, 08/06/2008 - 11:51pm.READ MORE:

Too much heat can lead to a dangerous situation for a football player. One of the keys is awareness and the players & coaches understood how hot it was Wednesday at North Brunswick. The heat index was 105. The temperature reached 98. The Scorpions go through an average of 65 gallons of water during each practice, on a hot day. Head Coach Gary Bishop chooses to practice in the late afternoon - early evening time period instead of the morning, like some teams do. " The key is to keep fluids in them. We think practicing in the evening is not a problem. We've never had a problem in 15 years and we want to keep it that way."

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H.O.T. System

Submitted by Herman (not verified) on Mon, 06/29/2009 - 11:16am.

Check out the H.O.T. system. Its a heat monitoring device that sits in a football player's helmet, and relays temperature wirelessly to a PDA. Has been featured on CNN, Associated Press, and other news stations. Visit hotheadsports.com and DEFEAT THE HEAT!

Seventeen year-olds get a workout at Parris Island...

Submitted by Commonsensenotc... on Sun, 08/10/2008 - 1:41pm.

...that makes high school football practice look like a stroll in the park. They run, they take on the obstacle course, the confidence course (a physically demanding obstacle course that incorporates psychological obstacles, such as fear of heights, fear of underground tight spaces, etc.), they engage in hand-to-hand combat training, pugil sticks, and close order drill on a steaming asphalt parade deck. They do it ALL day long...they run in formation at least twice a day.....and they do it twelve months a year with a casualty rate that is near zero. As long as coaches are stressing the importance of staying hydrated and taking in normal amounts of salt, training everyone to recognize the signs and symptoms of heat exhaustion and heat stroke, and have a method of cooling a player down immediately at the first signs of heat stroke, it can be done safely. We need to stop turning our kids into pansies. When you watch those young Marine recruits running three miles on an August afternoon (or Navy SEAL candidates doing pushups in the ocean at BUDS training in January) you realize that our kids can be just as tough and rugged as they ever were if we simply STOP CODDLING THEM.

what ever happened to

Submitted by fullup (not verified) on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 4:38pm.

In case you did not know, football practice starts in the summer for all levels of football.

Never had a problem

Submitted by java1 (not verified) on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 11:48am.

until one of these students have a heat stroke and suffers brain damage. Most days there is not a problem but when the actual temperature reaches above 95 practice should not be held. This is high school football folks!!!!

Intense Heat and the Effects of Same

Submitted by Guesttootrue! (not verified) on Sat, 08/09/2008 - 9:09pm.

Your comments are sooo true! To all the parents who have replied to this blog stating that anyone who protests about practice being held in intense heat is a whimp (or words to that effect): I really hope your adult child doesn't have heat stroke and suffer brain damage. Perhaps then you would be wishing you had listened to those who totally understand the dangers of heatstroke, etc. Get real, folks! As the person who wrote as "java1" states: This is high school football. Which basically equals out to the fact that "y'all" have a choice=To take a horrible risk or not.

What ever happened to

Submitted by Doc (not verified) on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 10:39am.

What ever happened to football being played in the winter months...or is it people just have to have it most of the year for entertainment purposes? Seems as though seasonal sports are no longer seasonal...backed by popular demand/$$$$...and HDTV! The News comments on the weather/pollution conditions for the China Olympics and the concerns for the Olympians with good reason, but people seem to forget about our children's well being right here at home. You see DOT workers working in this heat and think how horrible it must be doing their jobs in this recent weather...though your child may be out in it practicing football. I'm sure that scenario has come to light. Keep the kids out of the heat, or they may pay for the health risk due mainly by peer pressure.

RE: what ever happened to...

Submitted by Guestx (not verified) on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 11:57am.

Organized athletic competition has been happening in every season in every country since the dawn of time. Popular demand, HD and $$$ has nothing to do with it. Being exposed to pollution, and heat exhaustion are totally unrelated. DOT workers have a job to do. So do life guards. Excuse me, Mr. Lifeguard, it's too hot for you to work today. Can you please step down? C'mon. I'm thankful they are there to do it. Kids enjoy being outside and being a part of an organized activity. If they didn't, they would not be there. Is it too hot outside to go to the pool or the beach? Or is it okay to go because you can "cool off" in the water. Of course it's okay. Along with anything else, you take precaution. No one is forgetting about our kids right here at home. They practice in the evening and the early morn, unlike the lifeguard and the DOT worker that has to be in the heat of the day. They take water breaks, and are not allowed to compete with signs of fatigue and are all cleared to play medically. Sometimes you just have to let them go.

["Organized athletic

Submitted by Doc (not verified) on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 11:48pm.

["Organized athletic competition has been happening in every season in every country since the dawn of time. Popular demand, HD and $$$ has nothing to do with it. Being exposed to pollution, and heat exhaustion are totally unrelated. "] You must be a coach, or a parent that wants their child out of the house at all cost. For a change, YOU get out there and do as they do when they do and enjoy every moment of it at all cost to your health...in the name of football.

Not a coach.

Submitted by Guestxz (not verified) on Mon, 08/11/2008 - 3:57pm.

Thanks for quoting me. Since you assume my profession, I must express you are incorrect. I am a landscape architect with a masters degree in the field. With that I have spent a great deal of my career outdoors in extreme temperature and physical variations. As long as I am precautionary, and cleared medically to do my work in the winter or the summer, ailments should be thwarted. I am also a proud parent of two children who do not play sports, but love being outside with their father, going on bike rides, etc. When I see they are fatiqued, I ask them to rest, have a drink of water and provide them with helmets as a precaution. My main point for commenting on this is that you cannot prevent everything. Let the professionals that operate these practices do them, as they are trained to do so. Just as you trust the teachers, school bus drivers, etc. to watch your children go about their daily lives, and your fellow man. Say you stop the practices from happening in extreme temperatures. Hooray, everyone is happy. Then, 4 weeks later, a student gets injured by a car while crossing the street. Will you raise up and call for no more walking? Of course not. It's not in the name of football as you allude, but in the name of a society that understands you cannot prevent all accidents from happening. You can only take precautions and be trusting that they will not happen. If my children get injured or god forbid die prematurely in a bike riding accident I will certainly be distraught and ask why it happened. But at the same time I will not call for a stop to all bike riding. That is just me. I respect your stance as well.

Let them practice inside the

Submitted by Doc (not verified) on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 12:56pm.

Let them practice inside the school gym in their tennis shoes during the next heat wave. There are drills they can do inside. There is a simple answer/solution to problems if they are sought out, but only a few seek them out. I question the coaches for not requesting such indoor protection...and maybe all that are *opposed* to the "writers/people against outside practice" within this forum during the dog days...should as well.

Resolution

Submitted by Guestxyz (not verified) on Tue, 08/12/2008 - 3:52pm.

You know that nobody's reallly opposed to the opinions each share on the board. We're all just talking and tossing back and forth ideas, some more opinionated and firm in their stance than others. What you mentioned can work as a compromise and a precaution to extreme conditions. Works for all. Pleasure sharing the board with you.

Heat?

Submitted by happy football mom (not verified) on Fri, 08/08/2008 - 9:11am.

My son plays football for NHHS. The heat doesn't bother him. You know what bothers him? Missing football practice bothers him! Having it called off early bothers him. Kids need to be outside. Even when he comes home from practice he is off and running outside and on his bike to meet friends. When did our society become such AC hogs? I am not trying to argue with anybody on here, but unless you come to one of these practices and watch how the staff and the coaches make them take their breaks, don't bother to blog. Thanks and GO WILDCATS!!!

let me ask you something.

Submitted by fullup (not verified) on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 3:54pm.

let me ask you something. DID YOU GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY IN THE HEAT? DID WE ALWAYS HAVE AC? With the proper precautions these practices are safe. Get a grip and a life

football

Submitted by Das Weibstück on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 3:26pm.

Practice at night or at 4 a.m....... after all football is more important than class.

OK

Submitted by Guest7969 (not verified) on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 2:32pm.

FIRST of all, there is nothing babying about 105 degree weather and keeping your child out of it...it's called common sense. EVEN OUR MILITARY have what they call BLACK flag days where training and exercises are "limited". I would LOVE to see some of the parents of these kids get out and do the same things their kids are doing and match the time they are doing it...LOL..let me know cause I want to be there with a camera. I am not saying there should be NO TRAINING...and I am not even sure that the training they are doing isn't within reason....but heat stroke isn't a joke and some people are more prone to it than others.

RE: OK

Submitted by hooray (not verified) on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 3:54pm.

"When a black flag is raised, signifying the average temperature on base is 90 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, commanders are encouraged to avoid any unnecessary training to prevent heat injuries." To avoid cumulative fluid depletion, track pre-practice weights over several days. Observe all athletes for signs of heat illness-fatigue, weakness, dizziness, pounding headache, visual disturbances, lethargy, cramps, inattention, confusion, nausea or vomiting, awkwardness, weak and rapid pulse, flushed appearance or fainting. Identify and observe more closely athletes at higher-than-normal risk for heat illness. Education and being proactive are the best ways to overcome any uncertainty. Not raise up in arms and be reactive calling for a stop to all things because they are unacceptable to the few.

Football Practice in 98 Degree Heat?

Submitted by Guesthorrified! (not verified) on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 12:14pm.

I only hope that no-one dies after practicing football in 98 degree heat on his watch! It's totally insane to be practicing/playing in such heat! Please reconsider your rules and regs! And what's wrong with the parents/sitters who allow the child/children in their care to go out and practice? Again, please reconsider the life of your child/children! If more parents banded together about this issue, more coaches would abandon the idea of allowing their players to play in such temps. Personally, I wouldn't even attempt to walk two miles in this heat!

Quit "Baby-ing" Our Kids

Submitted by Guestz (not verified) on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 2:09pm.

This is the "wuss"-ification of America. "Parents band together and protect our children!" what an out-cry. Keep them locked up in the house and turn off their TV's so that nothing can ever harm them! Put them in a bubble so they can never breathe the harmful air. Keep them away from the malls so they are not exposed to victoria's little secret. Go ahead and see what happens to our country. You wonder why kids get bullied and can't stand up for themselves. Yes, deaths happen in life. You can never prevent each and every one of them. Sometimes you just have to let go. I have 3 kids. 2 girls and a boy. One's a doctor, one's in college and the other yes, is playing football in high school. When they fell down, did I pamper them and take them to get ice cream? No! I said get up, you're okay, walk it off. What happened to this type of parenting? You think when my grandfather was 14 working the toabacco fields his dad said, come on in boy, it's too hot out there. No! He said we're almost done for the day. Keep at it and get a drink of water. If you go to these practices, you will see trained athletic trainers, water breaks every 15 minutes, light workouts on hot days. No one wants a death on their conscious, so they do take precautions to prevent them from happening. A seatbelt will keep you safe, but it's a precaution. It won't help you everytime. But by crying out to band together and stop this is absurd. Quit baby-ing our kids or else they all will be living at home when thier 30 and asking "Hey Mon and Dad, what is life like?"

Re: Get Real

Submitted by Guest1234 (not verified) on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 1:24pm.

There is nothing wrong with the parents of these football players!!! I assure you that coaches take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the children on their watch. As a parent of a former football player, I know the importance of practice. If practice were to be suspended until temps were cooler then you would have an unconditioned football team and the players would be subject to more extreme injuries. Better yet why don't we cancel football all together until winter time. I am so sorry you are horrifed but don't question the parenting skills of many of the football parents. Just please keep your delicate self indoors.

Practice and heat

Submitted by Baseball MOM (not verified) on Thu, 08/07/2008 - 2:54pm.

I have to agree there is nothing wrong with these children practicing in this much heat. These coaches are well trained and know what signes to look for and what precautions to take. The key is water water water. I have a 10 year old who plays baseball in this heat. I have no woriies. We do need to stop babying our children, let them grow up and learn the trials and tribulations of life. They need to survive in this world, when we are not here anymore.

My son is doing HS football

Submitted by Guest (not verified) on Tue, 08/31/2010 - 5:07pm.

My son is doing HS football for the first time and yesterday after practice (it was in the high 90's) he wanted to quit. Kids were vomiting on the field and the coaches berated them for being weak. I told him he wasn't quitting after a bad day, but when he wanted to skip practice today when it was 99 degrees, I said fine. Sorry, but after the comments the coaches made yesterday I do not have confidence that they have the interest of my son's health in mind. I realize football is a tough sport, but some situations just aren't healthy. If they had weight training indoors today, I would have made him go.

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