Between 1997 and 2001, eighteen student athletes died from heat stroke.In less than a two-week period this summer, football players in Indiana, Florida and Minnesota succumbed to the heat. It is imperative that, as parents, we recognize the signs of heat-related illness and take steps to prevent any more tragedies.
When I was chairman of the Sports Injury Advisory Group to the Governor of Michigan, I helped develop some guidelines on preventing heat stroke among football players, guidelines that are applicable to every sport and recreational activity.
Our recommendations included:
Acclimatize to heat gradually.
Practices for the first week to 10 days should be shorter and less
intense, as should practices on abnormally hot or humid days. In
addition athletes should be encouraged to initiate their own
conditioning program several months prior to the beginning of the
season. During the hottest weather practice sessions should be
scheduled in cooler parts of the day.
Account for heat and humidity.
Both the temperature and relative humidity should be taken into account
in determining the length of practice sessions. It has been suggested
that if the sum of the temperature and relative humidity are greater
than or equal to 160, special precautions must be taken. If the sum is
greater than 180, practice and or games should be cancelled.
Provide for frequent breaks.
Adjust the activity level and provide frequent rest periods during hot
weather (at least 15 minutes per hour of practice). Athletes should
rest in shaded areas; helmets should be removed, and jerseys should be
loosened or removed.
Rehydrate.
Cold water or sports drinks should be available in unlimited quantities
to players. Scheduled water breaks should be strictly enforced.
No salt tablets. Salt should be replaced through salting of food, not salt tablets.
Weigh athletes before and after practice.
Athletes should be weighed before and after each practice to monitor
water loss. Weight loss greater than 3% indicates a substantial risk
and 5% a significant danger to the student athlete.
No heavy or wet clothing.
During practice athletes should wear cooling clothing such as shorts
and fish net jerseys. Sweat saturated t-shirts should be changed often
because they retain heat. Helmets should only be used sparingly in hot
weather.
Parent monitoring.
Parents should monitor all practices and games, with the responsibility
shared on a rotating basis among all parents of student athletes. If a
parent observes an unsafe situation developing, he or she should
immediately bring it to the attention of the coach.
Identify athletes at greater risk.
Some athletes are more susceptible to heat illness than others.
Identify and observe closely those at greatest risk of heat illness,
including those who are poorly conditioned, overweight, have an acute
illness, or have cystic fibrosis, diabetes, or mental retardation.
Student athletes with a previous history of heat illness should
bewatched closely during practices and hot weather.
Learn the warning signs.
It is imperative that all coaches, parents, and players are on the lookout for signs of dehydration [1] or heat illness [2],
such as fatigue, lethargy, inattention, stupor, and/or awkwardness. An
athlete exhibiting any of these signs should be immediately removed
from participation, cooled down and placed in a shaded environment.
Parent Involvement Is Key
If all parents, coaches and athletes learned and followed these ten steps, I believe the number of heat-related deaths of student-athletes could be reduced to zero. But it will only happen if parents become much more actively involved by attending their child's practices and games to ensure that they don't become tragic statistics like the players in Indiana, Florida, and Minnesota.
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Links:
[1] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/867
[2] https://mail.momsteam.com/node/866
[3] https://mail.momsteam.com/forums
[4] https://mail.momsteam.com/sports/football-tackle/safety/why-football-players-at-greater-risk-of-heat-illness
[5] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/hydration-safety/fluid-guidelines/hydration-advice-for-parents
[6] https://mail.momsteam.com/health-safety/hydration-safety/when-too-hot-for-sports-depends-on-heat-index