Phantom Stang
08-08-2005, 11:21 AM
Heat is on the minds of coaches
By Nathan Wright and Terrence Thomas / Scripps West Texas Newspapers
August 3, 2005
SAN ANGELO - Colorado City High School football coach Frank Johnson knows all about the concerns surrounding the dangers of football players practicing in the heat.
Eight years ago, while an assistant coach at Plainview, near Lubbock, Johnson had a player suffer a heatstroke on the first day the team worked out in pads.
''Thank God he survived,'' Johnson said of the player, who spent three days on a respirator but recovered to play most of that season. ''We didn't know if he was going to live. Boy, that got our attention. I never want to see that happen again.
''You're stupid if you don't pay attention to the heat.''
In 2004, three U.S. high school football players - including one in Texas - suffered heat-related deaths. Although temperatures this week during high school football two-a-day workouts haven't been as high as in previous years, West Texas coaches, players and athletic trainers are still taking every precaution to avoid heat-related dangers.
Those measures range from limitless water breaks for players, to teams holding their workouts before the temperatures and heat are overbearing.
''I tell them all the time, 'It's your body. You know how you're feeling,''' Wall High School coach Kevin Burns said. ''If something doesn't feel right, don't play tough and don't be stupid. If you need a washout (a drink), go get it.
''Heck, I get thirsty. I'm going to get a drink, and I'm going to make sure the guys running around do, too.''
Cooper High School football coach Marty Secord said coaches and trainers have, thankfully, gotten smarter since the days he was playing high school football.
''They used to look at your Adam's apple to count the swallows,'' Secord said, referring to the old idea that players should not get waterlogged during practice. Now, though, ''If they need a drink, we get it to them.''
Secord said his coaches along with the Cooper training staff always have their eyes open for potential problems, watching for dizziness and tired players. And the old macho standard of being tough in the face of heat, he said, is gone. In its place is education about drinking the right fluids - no carbonated drinks or liquids heavy in caffeine - and practicing smart in the heat of the day.
Abilene High football coach Steve Warren and his staff stress the importance of getting used to high temperatures to his players.
''We really encourage them from way back in the spring to stay acclimated to the heat during the summer,'' Warren said. ''One of the biggest problems is that kids don't stay out in the heat enough during the summer and keep their bodies acclimated, and then all of a sudden they try to go out and practice, and that's really tough on them. Way too many of them are staying indoors all summer playing Nintendo, so we educate them about that.''
Of course, one of the best plans is to simply practice before the hottest part of the day.
At Colorado City, the team works out from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to avoid the sometimes-grueling afternoon temperatures.
''I do it to avoid the heat,'' Johnson said. ''I don't like being out when it's hot. I'm very cautious of it.''
Reporter-News sports staff Jacob Brown and Brian Todd contributed to this report.
Cool tips to beat the heat
The University Scholastic League handbook for coaches offers the following advice for avoiding heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses or injuries:
1. Each athlete must have a physical exam with a medical history, including a history of previous heat illness.
2. Coaches should know the physical condition of their athletes and set practice schedules accordingly.
3. It is necessary for an athlete to exercise in the heat if he/she is to become acclimatized to it. A graduated physical conditioning program should be used where 80 percent acclimatization can be expected to occur after the first seven to 10 days.
4. The old idea that water should be withheld from athletes during workouts has no scientific foundation. Water must be on the field and readily available to the athletes at all times.
5. Salt should be replaced daily. Modest salting of foods after practice or games will accomplish this purpose.
6. Know both the temperature and humidity. The greater the humidity, the more difficult it is for the body to cool itself.
7. Cooling by evaporation is proportional to the area of skin exposed. In extremely hot and humid weather reduce the amount of clothing covering the body as much as possible.
8. Athletes should weigh each day before and after practice and weight charts checked. Generally a three percent weight loss through sweating is considered safe.
9. Observe athletes carefully for signs of trouble, particularly athletes who lose significant weight. Some trouble signs are nausea, incoherence, fatigue, weakness, vomiting, cramps, weak rapid pulse, visual disturbance and unsteadiness.
11. Know what to do in case of emergency and have your emergency plans written with copies to all your staff.
© 1995-2005 The E.W. Scripps Co. and the Abilene Reporter-News.
All Rights Reserved.
Site users are subject to our User Agreement. We also have a Privacy Policy.
By Nathan Wright and Terrence Thomas / Scripps West Texas Newspapers
August 3, 2005
SAN ANGELO - Colorado City High School football coach Frank Johnson knows all about the concerns surrounding the dangers of football players practicing in the heat.
Eight years ago, while an assistant coach at Plainview, near Lubbock, Johnson had a player suffer a heatstroke on the first day the team worked out in pads.
''Thank God he survived,'' Johnson said of the player, who spent three days on a respirator but recovered to play most of that season. ''We didn't know if he was going to live. Boy, that got our attention. I never want to see that happen again.
''You're stupid if you don't pay attention to the heat.''
In 2004, three U.S. high school football players - including one in Texas - suffered heat-related deaths. Although temperatures this week during high school football two-a-day workouts haven't been as high as in previous years, West Texas coaches, players and athletic trainers are still taking every precaution to avoid heat-related dangers.
Those measures range from limitless water breaks for players, to teams holding their workouts before the temperatures and heat are overbearing.
''I tell them all the time, 'It's your body. You know how you're feeling,''' Wall High School coach Kevin Burns said. ''If something doesn't feel right, don't play tough and don't be stupid. If you need a washout (a drink), go get it.
''Heck, I get thirsty. I'm going to get a drink, and I'm going to make sure the guys running around do, too.''
Cooper High School football coach Marty Secord said coaches and trainers have, thankfully, gotten smarter since the days he was playing high school football.
''They used to look at your Adam's apple to count the swallows,'' Secord said, referring to the old idea that players should not get waterlogged during practice. Now, though, ''If they need a drink, we get it to them.''
Secord said his coaches along with the Cooper training staff always have their eyes open for potential problems, watching for dizziness and tired players. And the old macho standard of being tough in the face of heat, he said, is gone. In its place is education about drinking the right fluids - no carbonated drinks or liquids heavy in caffeine - and practicing smart in the heat of the day.
Abilene High football coach Steve Warren and his staff stress the importance of getting used to high temperatures to his players.
''We really encourage them from way back in the spring to stay acclimated to the heat during the summer,'' Warren said. ''One of the biggest problems is that kids don't stay out in the heat enough during the summer and keep their bodies acclimated, and then all of a sudden they try to go out and practice, and that's really tough on them. Way too many of them are staying indoors all summer playing Nintendo, so we educate them about that.''
Of course, one of the best plans is to simply practice before the hottest part of the day.
At Colorado City, the team works out from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. to avoid the sometimes-grueling afternoon temperatures.
''I do it to avoid the heat,'' Johnson said. ''I don't like being out when it's hot. I'm very cautious of it.''
Reporter-News sports staff Jacob Brown and Brian Todd contributed to this report.
Cool tips to beat the heat
The University Scholastic League handbook for coaches offers the following advice for avoiding heatstroke and other heat-related illnesses or injuries:
1. Each athlete must have a physical exam with a medical history, including a history of previous heat illness.
2. Coaches should know the physical condition of their athletes and set practice schedules accordingly.
3. It is necessary for an athlete to exercise in the heat if he/she is to become acclimatized to it. A graduated physical conditioning program should be used where 80 percent acclimatization can be expected to occur after the first seven to 10 days.
4. The old idea that water should be withheld from athletes during workouts has no scientific foundation. Water must be on the field and readily available to the athletes at all times.
5. Salt should be replaced daily. Modest salting of foods after practice or games will accomplish this purpose.
6. Know both the temperature and humidity. The greater the humidity, the more difficult it is for the body to cool itself.
7. Cooling by evaporation is proportional to the area of skin exposed. In extremely hot and humid weather reduce the amount of clothing covering the body as much as possible.
8. Athletes should weigh each day before and after practice and weight charts checked. Generally a three percent weight loss through sweating is considered safe.
9. Observe athletes carefully for signs of trouble, particularly athletes who lose significant weight. Some trouble signs are nausea, incoherence, fatigue, weakness, vomiting, cramps, weak rapid pulse, visual disturbance and unsteadiness.
11. Know what to do in case of emergency and have your emergency plans written with copies to all your staff.
© 1995-2005 The E.W. Scripps Co. and the Abilene Reporter-News.
All Rights Reserved.
Site users are subject to our User Agreement. We also have a Privacy Policy.