“Ready…Set…Hydrate!”: Athletes urged to take precautions as summer practices begin

By Micah McCartney | on August 03, 2023

QUICK REFRESHMENT — Decatur athletic trainer Brandon Pounds offers a drink of water to Keygan Hachtel during the Eagles’ first outdoor practice session Monday. To combat high temperatures, Decatur athletic director Steve Huff is emphasizing hydration, as well as allowing for more rest breaks, ample access to water and ‘teach time’ sessions. MICAH MCCARTNEY/WCMESSENGER

Triple-digit temperatures couldn’t stop Wise County athletes from returning for the first day of summer practices. As the sun broke over the horizon Monday, athletes were greeted by the 32nd day of temperatures exceeding 100 degrees since June 19.

Fortunately, local coaches and athletic trainers are drawing up plans to keep players safe while tuning up in the heat.

“We’re very fortunate to have an indoor [facility] that allows us to be out of the sun for periods of time during practice,” Decatur coach Steve Huff said. “The No. 1 thing we did to get ready for our summer team practices was have an eight-week workout program. We had 28 days of workouts. A lot of our athletes got in a bunch of days this summer, and so they’re pretty used to the heat by now.”

As summer practices approached, the coach encouraged his athletes to prepare for the grueling hot days ahead.

“We’ve constantly been talking to our kids about hydration,” Huff said. “Right now at minimum, they should be up to at least a gallon of water per day, if not more. But we’re also telling them to not drink so much that they can’t eat. As an athlete, you’ve got to take care of your body so you can perform at a high level.”

To combat the heat during practice, Huff has encouraged his coaching staff to allow for more breaks, as well as have periods of relaxed instruction.

“We have things built into our practices called ‘teach times’,” he said. “Our coaches know any time we can get that allows our athletes to be without their helmets on, it’s fine that they take them off — we don’t have to force everything on them at once. We’re trying to get our conditioning and used to the heat this week. In reality, will we ever play a game when it’s 107 degrees? Probably not, but they’ll be plenty of stoppages if we do.”

NICE AND COOL — Decatur assistant coach Mark Zimmer sprays the neck of Garrison Fay with a water bottle during a water break at practice Monday. MICAH MCCARTNEY/WCMESSENGER

According to Huff, the Decatur athletic department is using a wet bulb globe temperature tracker that measures heat stress in direct sunlight, including temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover.

“We use the recommended wet globe, and there were a few times [Monday] where it got up high — almost to the red,” he said. “But we’re able to adjust our drills accordingly. We had a few kids that ended up getting bothered by the heat. Looking at the forecast, it’s going to be about the same next week. But once you’re used to it, it’s like any other day.”

The UIL’s athletic health and safety guidelines state that “due to the equipment and uniform needed in football, most of the heat problems have been associated with football,” including heat cramps, heat syncope, heat exhaustion from water and salt depletion and heatstroke.

The governing body of Texas high school sports emphasizes preparing athletes for workouts in extreme temperatures through acclimatization ­— the process of becoming adjusted to heat at a continual pace.

UIL’s guidelines state that athletic departments are required to provide access to water during practice in unlimited quantities, recommending 10 minute water breaks for every half hour of heavy exercise in the heat.

“The old idea that water should be withheld from athletes during workouts has no scientific foundation,” the organization said.

According to the Mayo Clinic, dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions.

“Dehydration also can occur in any age group if you don’t drink enough water during hot weather – especially if you are exercising vigorously,” the Mayo website says. “You can usually reverse mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids, but severe dehydration needs immediate medical treatment.”

A National Institute of Health study published in 2013 found that more than 9,000 high school athletes are treated for exertional heat illnesses annually. The top two risk factors were obesity and participating in practices during hot and humid weather, when athletes have not yet been acclimated to physical exertion in heat

The study found that illnesses occurred in 1.20 per 100,000 athlete exposures, and 60 percent occurred in August.

Almost one-third occurred more than two hours into the practice session. The exertional heat illness rate in football (4.42 per 100,000 athlete exposures) was 11.4 times that in all other sports combined, the study found.

“Because exertional heat illness frequently occurs when medical professionals are not present, it is imperative that high school athletes, coaches, administrators, and parents are trained to identify and respond to it,” the study stated, adding that around 30 percent of reported cases occurred in the presence of a medical professional.

READY TO PLAY — Decatur’s Ray Martinich participates in blocking drills during the Eagles’ first practice Monday inside Decatur High School’s Eagle Activity Center. The turfed indoor facility allows Decatur athletes to escape the heat during summer workout sessions. MICAH MCCARTNEY/WCMESSENGER

Fernando Escobar, an athletic trainer with Top Tier Performance in Decatur, said athletes who have not prepared their bodies before participating in summer workouts can experience both physical and mental symptoms of dehydration.

“It’s no secret that it’s hot outside right now, and functionality can become difficult when you’re doing a lot of physical activity in the heat,” Escobar said. “It can quickly change from just physical issues to cognitive issues, which could include loss of memory, slurred speech and lethargy.”

Escobar said the biggest tell-tale signs of dehydration are discoloration of urine and muscle cramps, as well as chronic headaches, blurred vision, nausea and fatigue and more.

“I encourage people to take the color of their urine very seriously,” he said. “It’s always good to remember ‘Clean in, clear out.’ But the darker it is, then the worse off you are.”

In addition to proper hydration, Escobar said eating healthy, balanced meals, and not consuming sugary beverages such as sodas and energy drinks will help athletes prevent dehydration symptoms.

“Energy drinks have been growing on us, and now kids think they’re a simple pick-me-up as a pre-practice drink,” he said. “That’s one of the worst mistakes they could make, and it can actually increase the chance of them becoming dehydrated as they go through the workouts.

“In terms of food, look for the complex carbohydrates like oatmeal or toast in the mornings. Peanut butter and bananas as also great examples of a quick pre-workout meal. After practice, a good post-workout ritual could be a protein shake that’s got some carbs mixed in with it so that your body can use those carbs to rebuild after practice.”

Having worked with several local programs over the years, Escobar is proud of how Wise County athletic programs have taken care of their athletes.

“We’ve been very blessed in Wise County that we haven’t seen anything significant related to heat-related issues,” he said. “I think our local coaches and athletic trainers have the right mindset when it comes to keeping players safe. We’re also trying to educate parents about what they can do at home to help their kids, and I think it’s working.”

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