Health Is No. 1 Heading Into Fall Season

We are two weeks from the start of practice for most fall sports and less than a month from games. Too early to start thinking about such things? Of course not.

The first thing to do when looking ahead to the season is see what has changed from a year ago. There are plenty of questions that need answering. Can the Tolland boys cross country team repeat after the loss of Bryan Fowler. Can the Suffield girls soccer team reload and repeat as Class M champs? What about the Somers boys in Class S? Will Tolland and E.O. Smith play another memorable Thanksgiving football game? Will there be more at stake? Are Manchester and Rockville ready to challenge for CCC football supremacy? Will Windsor be improved?

Interesting questions all but an examination of the seasonal changes in fortune can wait a week.

The most significant change from last season is not an official one but should be brought to the attention of every head coach in the state. The American Academy of Pediatrics has issued new guidelines for practicing in the heat. The guidelines, which were published in the magazine Pediatrics come in the wake of news that at least three student-athletes died during the intense heat that covered most of the country in late July and early August.

The guidelines offer 11 suggestions to schools on how to practice safely.

Among them, mandating that all student-athletes go through a mandated 14-day acclimation period during the return to physical activity. This would mean coaches would gradually increase the level of activity during practices over a two-week period instead of starting with intense practices on the first day.

Also, the academy suggests teenage athletes drink up to five to six cups of water per hour during practice. The older the student-athlete, the more water he or she should be drinking. Quite simply, regular water breaks are not enough. Water needs to be a constant part of practice.

Another suggestion is lowering the intensity of practices during extreme heat.

The entire report can be found by clicking here and should be required reading for all coaches and administrators before practices begin in the heat of August.

There is good news in the report for parents.

“Most healthy children and athletes can safely participate in outdoor sports and activities in a wide range of warm to hot weather, but adults sometimes create situations that are potentially dangerous,” said Stephen G. Rice in a statement on the group’s website. Rice is the co-author of the policy statement and a former member of the executive committee of the AAP Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness.

“Heat illness is entirely preventable if coaches and other adults take some precautions to protect the young athletes,” he said.

The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference has also issued guidelines that reinforce the AAP’s stance.

The CIAC recommends “that a minimum ten minute water break be scheduled for every twenty minutes of heavy exercise in the heat. Athletes should rest in a shaded area during the break. Water should be available in unlimited quantities.”

The CIAC also issues guidelines for moderating practice intensity in the heat. They recommend measuring the wet bulb globe temperature index before each practice or game. The WBGT is based on temperature, relative humidity, wind and radiant heat. Any reading over 73 represents a high risk for heavy physical activity.

These guidelines are the surest way for Connecticut high school’s to avoid the tragedies that have befallen schools in Florida and Georgia this summer.