Summer 2023 will likely go down as one of the state’s most extreme, thanks to a punishing and relentless heat wave. And local experts warn that heat-related illnesses are on the rise in Dallas County.
So, high school coaches and athletes are pursuing solutions to ensure that the game can go on.
Joe Martin, executive director of the Texas High School Coaches Association, said football players aren’t the only ones competing in triple-digit temps. Tennis players, cross-country runners and members of the school band are also performing outdoors.
It may be one of the hottest Texas summers on record, he noted, but 1980 took home the gold.
“I remember how hot it was and how tough that was, and how tough that was on our kids,” said Martin, who was coaching in the Dallas area at the time. “But we didn't have the summer strength and conditioning that we have today, and so I think it's way safer today than it was in 1980.”
The majority of Texas schools have already been getting student athletes accustomed to the heat in organized workouts, Martin said. He credits the University Interscholastic League, the governing body for Texas high-school sports, with how it has responded to heat concerns over the years.
UIL requires that water be available on the field at all times and in “unlimited quantities,” its website states. The organization has also pushed back against the “old idea that water should be withheld from athletes during workouts.”
Martin said that coaches are focused on following the proper protocol.
“They've got parents’ most prized possession under their guidance every day, and so, the health of our student athletes — from a coach's perspective — is eminent,” he said. “I mean, it's the most important thing we do.”
Guidelines dictate the number of hours students can exercise and what the heat index can be in order to practice, he said. Coaches are encouraged to have a cold tub nearby and to offer multiple breaks.
In addition, coaches are urged to weigh their athletes before and after each practice, Martin said. Some kids could lose as much as 10 to 15 pounds during a workout, and it’s essential that they receive the proper nutrition, fluids and rest to help gain it back.
Certain student athletes are getting creative when it comes to staying hydrated, including by signing up for IV-fluid injections at local medical spas.
By and large, coaches are doing a great job at ensuring student safety, Martin said.
“There's 1,500 schools playing high school football in the state of Texas, practicing or scrimmaging today,” he said. “And the vast, vast, vast majority of them are doing it the right way.”
“It is a problem that the summers are so hot, and they're not going to be getting any cooler anytime soon.” – Dr. Andrew Parker, sports medicine specialist
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A major concern going into the football season is acclimation, said Dr. Andrew Parker, a sports medicine specialist with Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen. Students who hadn’t been active outside earlier in the summer were suddenly working out in the August heat, he said, adding: “The potential of developing a heat illness or heat injury is most significant in that case.”
To be sure, outdoor athletics comes with risks. In August 2020, an 18-year-old football player in Guthrie, a community near the Texas panhandle, died of exertional heatstroke he'd suffered at practice, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Parker said that some student athletes might listen to their coaches before tuning into their own bodies’ needs.
“A lot of the things that we as adults would [do] — just stop and get water whenever we're thirsty or go sit in the shade and rest whenever we feel tired — it's hard for them to be an advocate for themselves and go do that,” he said. “And a lot of coaches — in the North Dallas area, at least, where I work — have gotten really smart about it.”
These coaches might hold football practice during the cooler parts of the day, Parker said, such as for two hours starting at 6 a.m. and in the evening beginning at 7.
He cited some signs of heat illness, including:
- Heavy sweating
- Tight or swollen hands or feet
- Cramps or muscle tightness
- Feeling lightheaded
Such symptoms indicate that one’s body temperature is rising, Parker said. That’s when a player should take a break in the shade or air conditioning and drink plenty of water, Gatorade or another beverage with electrolytes.
Signs of heatstroke include:
- Nausea
- Chills
- Headaches
- Confusion or lack of coordination
- Lack of sweat
Players experiencing those symptoms should get in an ice bath, cover their body with cold, wet towels or, in some cases, go to the hospital.
Awareness of heat-related illnesses has grown significantly over the past decade or two, Parker said. Newer indoor facilities are cropping up, and there’s a better understanding of why it’s important to stay hydrated. Some clothing that people wear during exercise is being made from fabrics that have a cooling effect on the body.
“So yes: It is a problem that the summers are so hot, and they're not going to be getting any cooler anytime soon,” Parker said. “But as technology and as science and as the awareness of those two things has advanced, we've kind of been able to keep up with the dangers of heat illness.”
