How Professional And High School Programs Keep Athletes Safe In Extreme Heat

The hot weather can be dangerous, especially for athletes who are playing and practicing outside. At both the professional and amateur level, teams said hydration is key as temperatures rise.

At ONEOK Field in Downtown Tulsa, the FC Tulsa soccer club is practicing ahead of a Friday night meeting versus Detroit. The other opponent this week is the heat.

“I think we’ll be prepared because we’ve trained today and yesterday in very tough situations,” said Blair Gavin, head coach. “It helps our players adapt to it a little bit quicker, which is good.”

Gavin said this has been the hottest week of practice so far. The staff is doing what they can to protect athletes.

“Ideally, the sessions are shorter, everything can be a little bit quicker,” said Gavin. “The players really need to focus on hydration, of course.”

In Owasso, some student athletes are taking part in camps for the other version of football. Summer conditioning for other sports is also underway.

Athletics trainer Zach McGinty said hydration is also the key for these athletes.

“Your body can really handle quite a bit when it comes to the heat,” said McGinty. “But, if you’re not hydrating properly, then you really don’t stand much of a chance.”

On top of a good breakfast, the staff is shifting outdoor activities to earlier in the morning to beat the worst of the heat.

Trainers are teaching about the warning signs of heat illnesses, and athletes have cold water in different forms to stay cool.

“I don’t want to have to end up calling 911, so we will break them off from whatever running or conditioning,” said McGinty. “If they start to feel overheated, I’ll just put them directly in the tub.”

McGinty said when it is time for fall football practice, students should be better acclimated to handle the heat since it’s something they will have already been working on all summer.