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Area teams try to tackle the heat
By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
The mornings were a sweltering mix of heat and high-humidity. By mid-afternoon the scorching summer sun became almost unbearable as the mercury level crept toward the triple-digit mark.
The peak of the United States’ summer season was in full swing last week, but even the miserable August weather couldn’t put the brakes on one of the most anticipated weeks of the year, as high schools and colleges across the nation delved into preseason football practice.
“It’s hot,” East Carolina University Athletic Trainer Mike Hanley said. “But in North Carolina you are going to play in some hot weather, so you’ve got to get climatized toward the heat. You don’t want your first game to be the first time your kids are exposed to real hot temperatures.”
The first week of football practice is always a concern to coaches and trainers as the players try to become acclimated to the high temperatures. This is the most dangerous time of the season for heat-related illnesses and death.
Since 1995, 33 players (25 high school, five college, two professionals, and one sandlot) have succumbed to heat stroke and died on the football field. All but one occurred during the first three days of practice.
After five deaths in 2006, the number of heat-related football deaths dipped to two last season as a pair of high school players lost their lives.
According to Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, that’s still too many.
Each year, Mueller compiles the Annual Survey of Football Injuries, a long-running report that tracks major injuries and deaths in football players on middle school, high school, college, and professional teams.
And each year, Mueller shakes his head in disbelief when he begins compiling the stats on heat-related deaths.
“There’s no excuse for it,” Mueller said. “We lost two kids last year and it’s senseless. All these deaths were preventable. Coaches and trainers are well versed in the warning signs of heat stroke. As soon as they see these signs they need to get the kid off the field.”
Mueller says that some of the signs to watch for in heat stroke are the absense of sweating, dry skin, confusion, rapid pulse and odd behavior
Mueller advises a medical examination for each player. Overweight players and those with a history of heat-related illness are more susceptible to heatstroke. He suggests weighing players before and after practice. A three percent loss in body weight through sweating is safe. More than five percent is the danger zone.
Over at ECU, Hanley is well aware of the dangers of heat stroke.
“We keep a very close eye on our guys,” Hanley said. “We weigh each kid every day before and after practice to make sure that they aren’t losing too much weight. A pound or two a day may not seem like much, but when you’re losing that for six or seven days in a row, it’s a concern. If we feel a kid is losing too much fluids, we hold them out a day or two.
“Heat exhaustion occurs regularly, but heat stroke is serious and life threatening,” Hanley continued. “The biggest sign we look for is a change in behavior. If he’s flamboyant, does he become shy. If he’s happy-go-lucky does he become combative. Any sign like that and we sit them and try to get their temperature down.”
Today, football coaches across the country are increasingly aware of the risks of heat-related illness.
It’s a far cry from the days of legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who in 1954 took more than 100 Texas A&M players to Junction, Texas where he began weeding out the weak ones. In oppressive heat, combined with brutal practices schedules, Bryant refused to allow water on his football field in an attempt to find the toughest group he could. After 10 days, Bryant returned to back to college station with just 27 players. Most of the players dropped because of the unbearable conditions. Future NFL coach Jack Pardee later admitted that it was fairly common to lose up to 10 percent or your body weight in a single day during that stretch.
“We are definiately more cautious these days,” Southside coach David Hines said. “We break every 15 or 20 minutes to get the kids water and to get them in the shade. We take heat very seriously.”
Coaches also monitor the humidity level and field temperatures.
“We find out what the humidity level is and if it’s too high, then we scale back and go with no helmet,” Washington coach Sport Sawyer said. “We give them plenty of water breaks. That’s our philosophy -- if you need water, get water.”
Most area teams have also adjusted their practice schedules to avoid practicing at the hottest times of the day.
“If we know it’s going to be really hot, we might push practice back an hour or two, or go in the morning,” Hanley said. “The biggest thing with heat, is to keep your kids safe. These guys are big, tough football players, but even the heat gets to them.”
The peak of the United States’ summer season was in full swing last week, but even the miserable August weather couldn’t put the brakes on one of the most anticipated weeks of the year, as high schools and colleges across the nation delved into preseason football practice.
“It’s hot,” East Carolina University Athletic Trainer Mike Hanley said. “But in North Carolina you are going to play in some hot weather, so you’ve got to get climatized toward the heat. You don’t want your first game to be the first time your kids are exposed to real hot temperatures.”
The first week of football practice is always a concern to coaches and trainers as the players try to become acclimated to the high temperatures. This is the most dangerous time of the season for heat-related illnesses and death.
Since 1995, 33 players (25 high school, five college, two professionals, and one sandlot) have succumbed to heat stroke and died on the football field. All but one occurred during the first three days of practice.
After five deaths in 2006, the number of heat-related football deaths dipped to two last season as a pair of high school players lost their lives.
According to Frederick O. Mueller, Ph.D., a professor of exercise and sports science at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, that’s still too many.
Each year, Mueller compiles the Annual Survey of Football Injuries, a long-running report that tracks major injuries and deaths in football players on middle school, high school, college, and professional teams.
And each year, Mueller shakes his head in disbelief when he begins compiling the stats on heat-related deaths.
“There’s no excuse for it,” Mueller said. “We lost two kids last year and it’s senseless. All these deaths were preventable. Coaches and trainers are well versed in the warning signs of heat stroke. As soon as they see these signs they need to get the kid off the field.”
Mueller says that some of the signs to watch for in heat stroke are the absense of sweating, dry skin, confusion, rapid pulse and odd behavior
Mueller advises a medical examination for each player. Overweight players and those with a history of heat-related illness are more susceptible to heatstroke. He suggests weighing players before and after practice. A three percent loss in body weight through sweating is safe. More than five percent is the danger zone.
Over at ECU, Hanley is well aware of the dangers of heat stroke.
“We keep a very close eye on our guys,” Hanley said. “We weigh each kid every day before and after practice to make sure that they aren’t losing too much weight. A pound or two a day may not seem like much, but when you’re losing that for six or seven days in a row, it’s a concern. If we feel a kid is losing too much fluids, we hold them out a day or two.
“Heat exhaustion occurs regularly, but heat stroke is serious and life threatening,” Hanley continued. “The biggest sign we look for is a change in behavior. If he’s flamboyant, does he become shy. If he’s happy-go-lucky does he become combative. Any sign like that and we sit them and try to get their temperature down.”
Today, football coaches across the country are increasingly aware of the risks of heat-related illness.
It’s a far cry from the days of legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant, who in 1954 took more than 100 Texas A&M players to Junction, Texas where he began weeding out the weak ones. In oppressive heat, combined with brutal practices schedules, Bryant refused to allow water on his football field in an attempt to find the toughest group he could. After 10 days, Bryant returned to back to college station with just 27 players. Most of the players dropped because of the unbearable conditions. Future NFL coach Jack Pardee later admitted that it was fairly common to lose up to 10 percent or your body weight in a single day during that stretch.
“We are definiately more cautious these days,” Southside coach David Hines said. “We break every 15 or 20 minutes to get the kids water and to get them in the shade. We take heat very seriously.”
Coaches also monitor the humidity level and field temperatures.
“We find out what the humidity level is and if it’s too high, then we scale back and go with no helmet,” Washington coach Sport Sawyer said. “We give them plenty of water breaks. That’s our philosophy -- if you need water, get water.”
Most area teams have also adjusted their practice schedules to avoid practicing at the hottest times of the day.
“If we know it’s going to be really hot, we might push practice back an hour or two, or go in the morning,” Hanley said. “The biggest thing with heat, is to keep your kids safe. These guys are big, tough football players, but even the heat gets to them.”
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