Thirst and goal

Ran on Monday,August 6, 2007

Thirst and goal
Football, heat a double whammy during preseason

By Keighla Schmidt
Leader-telegram Staff

The most important safety equipment for high school athletes might not be a helmet, pads or the right shoes — it might be a water bottle.
High school sports practices get under way this week. With recent temperatures in the 90s and humidity as high as 93 percent, student-athletes can run the risk of overheating.
Coaches are on the lookout for teenagers who are active in the heat.
"It's an issue and a concern," said Dean Rosemeyer, who is starting his first year as Eau Claire North High School's head football coach. "We do a lot of talking about hydrating."
To prevent an emergency, Rosemeyer will encourage his players to take frequent water breaks and spend time in the shade.
"We need to have their tanks filled," he said.
The overheating hazard was thrust into the national spotlight in August 2001 when Minnesota Vikings starting offensive lineman Korey Stringer died of heat stroke during training.
Rosemeyer said players do many conditioning drills that involve a lot of running to get their bodies in shape. Wearing all the extra football gear further raises their body temperatures.
Last week, Regis High School senior Zac Berry left a workout early at his father's request. Berry had gone straight from his job that sometimes takes him outside to football practice.
"(Overheating) could be a problem," said Berry, who plays tight end and defensive end.
Menomonie High School senior Jared Sawle, a quarterback, said the additional gear gets warm, so he takes extra measures to stay cool and encourages others to do the same.
"You should drink plenty of water," Sawle said. "And if you do feel like you're getting too warm, ask for a break. The coaches will probably give it to you; it's more important than another rep(etition)."
Chippewa Falls Senior High School football Coach Chuck Raykovich agrees.
"It's not a problem for us," he said, "because we have an open-door policy as far as liquid goes."
Raykovich said his players can bring their own water bottles or drink the water provided.
"They can get water whenever they want it."
Those are things Dr. Jim Walker likes to hear. As team physician for Menomonie, Walker said the best way to avoid a heat-related emergency is to avoid excessive heat and stay hydrated.

Not just football
Although their pads and helmets trap the heat, football players aren't the only fall student-athletes at risk of overheating.
North High School Athletic Director Dave Turner said even students playing sports that require less gear — such as cross country runners, soccer and tennis players — must be mindful in the heat.
Walker said long-distance runners need to closely monitor themselves because the conditions in which they work out and the lengths to which they push themselves prime their bodies for overheating.
Taking direction from the athletic director, North High School head soccer Coach Terry Albrecht said he monitors players' activity.
"It's one of the issues I pay pretty close attention to," Albrecht said. "I'm usually pretty good at spotting when an athlete isn't doing too well."
He also asks senior players to alert him when teammates seem as if they might be in danger. The boys' soccer team has one more advantage over football players who must practice in the heat: The soccer players can remove their shirts and cool down.
"The football guys can't do that," Albrecht said.
Rosemeyer has another option, too.
"We have them take their shoulder pads off," Rosemeyer said. "It lightens the load a little bit."
Turner warned those involved with indoor sports to watch for signs of overheating too.
While volleyball players in the gym and swimmers in the pool are out of the direct sun, they aren't in air conditioning.

Beating the heat
Athletic directors rely on the coaches to schedule practices at times that make the most sense depending on the weather.
"We expect coaches to take ownership on a sport-by-sport basis," Turner said.
While he doesn't put any specific time of day off limits, Turner said he encourages coaches to consider the heat and the effect it could have on the players.
Rosemeyer, for example, has scheduled football practices from 8 a.m. to noon.
Menomonie's Sawle said last week's players' minicamp only in the morning.
Seeking consistency, Raykovich said Chippewa Falls holds practices at the same time during the summer and during the school year — 4 to 8 p.m.
Albrecht, who has coached soccer for 25 years, splits the preseason workouts into two sessions. Conditioning runs from 9 to 11 a.m., and field training runs from about 2 to 4 p.m. He said the hard, constant work is in the earlier, cooler portion of the day.
"It's intentional to avoid the heat and to give them a break," Albrecht said.
Watching games from the sidelines, Walker provides his medical expertise and pushes athletes with muscle cramps and borderline heat exhaustion to drink water infused with a dissolving electrolyte packet.
"It tastes awful, but it replaces the electrolytes," Walker said. "The big thing is hydrating — before, during and after."

Why it's a problem
During tryouts or early season practices when athletes are trying to impress the coaches and get ready for the season, Turner said they will push their bodies to a new level.
"Kids will go way past the point of danger when an adult would know to stop," Turner said.
Coaches and athletic directors didn't cite any serious situations where athletes have had to seek medical attention for a heat-related emergency, but "it's always a potential," Turner said.
Schools are familiar with helping athletes beat the heat.
"It's something we deal with every year," said Steve Kolden, Menomonie High School athletic director and co-principal.
"We have to watch the heat, watch the humidity index and get them plenty of water."
The recent warm weather may even be good for athletes heading into practice.
"We're fortunate it's been so warm," Rosemeyer said. "It's gotten us all acclimated."

Schmidt can be reached at 833-9203 or keighla.schmidt@ecpc.com.