Pearl River Athletics Prepared for Heat With State Guidelines

One year ago, the Section 1 Class B Track and Field Championships came to Pearl River.

The Pirates won the girls championship and finished second in the boys, but the other athletes were not the only thing Pearl River had to battle that day, with the high temperature providing a challenge for athletes, coaches, meet officials and trainers.

Though one race official did have to leave the field in an ambulance as a precaution, the athletes competed relatively safely despite the high temperature.

The heat should be less of an issue when Pearl River competes in the section championships 1 p.m. today at Beacon, with the high temperature expected to remain below 80 degrees, but it could be an issue with the weather expected to be hotter next week.

The issue is one that trainers and coaches have become better prepared to deal with over the years. Safety has become a higher priority in athletics, from the more widespread use of facemasks in softball to concussion policies and plans for dealing with extreme weather. For the most part, the days of coaches denying athletes water as a way to push them are long gone. 

"All in all, it's high school sports. We want to create a safe environment for them to learn and play sports," said Pearl River Athletic Trainer Frank Amadio. "At certain times, the temperature creeps up and we want to make sure we are ahead of the game. It's important to let the coaches know to plan ahead of time and give them the opportunity to adjust"

"I think I would say the people in charge, meaning doctors and those people, are a lot more conscientious as far as realizing these kids work very hard and they have to develop an idea what the work rate is," said long-time Pearl River girls soccer coach Tim Peabody. "You have to be aware of how to create a safe environment for the kids to do their best and not be put at risk."

Peabody said the approach is different from when he played sports growing up. 

"The theory if you work them super hard, work them to the bone, you will play better," Peabody said. "That theory is not relevant any more. That was a different day and we were different kids. I don't think that works today."

The New York State Public High School Association approved Heat Index Procedures in May of 2010 (see attached PDF File). These provide guidelines for athletic trainers and athletic directors to help determine when play can continue, when precautions must be taken and when it must be stopped.

The procedures call for the heat index to be checked one hour before a contest or practice when the air temperature is 80 degrees or higher. Athletic trainers and athletic directors should use www.accuweather.com to determine the Real Feel temperature (heat index) for their location.  

The heat index takes into account things such as humidity to determine how hot a person actually feels rather than just the air temperature. If it is 90 degrees or above, the heat index must be checked again at least once, usually halfway through the practice or game. If it reaches 96 degrees, the game must be suspended.

The guidelines provide suggestions for a heat index up to 95 degrees, but the suspension at 96 degrees is a requirement.

The recommendations are as follows:

• Heat Index Caution (Real Feel 80 to 85 degrees) -- Provide ample water and multiple water breaks. Monitor athletes for heat illness. Consider reducing the amount of time for the practice session.
• Heat Index Watch (Real Feel 86 to 90 degrees) -- Provide ample water and multiple water breaks. Monitor athletes for heat illness. Consider postponing practice to a time when Real Feel temp is lower. Consider reducing amount of time for the practice session. One hour of recovery time for every hour of practice.
• Heat Index Warning (Real Feel 90 to 95 degrees) -- Provide ample water and multiple water breaks. Monitor athletes for heat illness. Consider postponing practice to a time when Real Feel temp is lower. Consider reducing amount of time for the practice session. One hour of recovery time for every hour of practice. Lightweight and loose fitting clothes should be worn. For practices only football helmets should be worn. No other protective equipment should be worn.

Amadio pointed out that a great deal still falls to the judgment of the trainer or athletic director. 

"Hourly, I have my phone set to the weather," Amadio said. "This isn't perfect, but it's good. There is something solid in place and it helps.

"Although there are procedures in place, how strict we are about it is really in my hands."

One thing Pearl River cannot do is send athletes indoors for a practice when it is hot outside.

"You can't make them go indoors unless it is a controlled, air-conditioned environment, which we don't have," Amadio said. "It's frustrating for some coaches to be shut down, but as long as you are doing the right thing for the kids, how can you argue?"

He said the conditions dictate his actions, not the event in question.

"Everything is treated exactly the same," Amadio said. "Whether it's a practice, a scrimmage or a game. I don’t' care if it's the New York State championship. We follow the book. If the heat index requires a game suspension or modification, that's what we do. I remember last year, we had a tennis get-together after the season. They wanted to have pizza and hit the ball around. I had to shut them down (due to the heat). I felt terrible, but you have organized play with coaches and student athletes. It was an unsafe environment."

Amadio said there are times he has to clear everybody from the athletic fields, even those who are not part of a school-sponsored team.

"It applies to anybody on the school grounds because we are liable for them and we want to make sure they're safe," Amadio said. 

He said they have taken a more proactive approach in recent years, including the information sent home to parents. That includes suggestions of clothing to wear and to make sure the athletes eat right and drink enough water.

"What they do when they go home is as important as what they do in the short amount of time they are here playing sports," Amadio said. "What you drank yesterday, and what you didn't drink yesterday, impacts you today."

Coaches must take classes annually that include heat illness training. They learn to recognize signs of a problem and do things to help prevent an issue, such as taking helmets off during a football practice or reducing exposure time. 

In addition to the spring sports that are still going, baseball, softball and track and field, the heat is also a concern for fall sports, which begin practice in August.

"It has definitely gotten hotter over the last 10 years," Peabody said during preseason practice last August. "I try to time the sequence of drills out to 18 minutes between water breaks. Unless it's really hot, then I change it and make it shorter. I try to have a time frame when we will stop no matter what. We definitely need to be hydrated.

"When I grew up, you could be in a drill for an hour before you got a drink. Now we space it to 16 to 18 minutes and no matter what, get a drink. Make sure everybody looks good. Nobody looks dizzy or faint."

Heat-Related Illnesses

According to WebMd.com, there are two types of heat exhaustion - water depletion and salt depletion.

• Signs of water depletion include excessive thirst, weakness, headache, and even loss of consciousness.
• Signs of salt depletioninclude nausea and vomiting, frequent muscle cramps, and dizziness.

Other signs of heat exhaustion include profuse sweating, confusion, dark-colored urine (a symptom of dehydration) and fatigue.

Treatments for heat exhaustion include drinking beverages without caffiene or alcohol, removing any unneccessary clothing, taking a cool shower or bath and other cooling measures such as ice towels.

Heat stroke is the most serious heat-related condition. It can damage the brain and other internal organs and 911 should be called immediately.

Fainting can be the first signal of heat stroke, but a core body temperature of 105 degrees or more is the primary symptom. Others include dizziness, nausea, throbbing headaches, muscle weakness or cramps, confusion, disorientation and seizures. The body can also stop sweating despite the heat.