RIVERSIDE — High temperatures forecast for the week are prompting high school football coaches and athletic trainers to modify practice routines to keep players safe.
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At Stebbins High School, the football team held an indoor practice on Monday to review film and avoid the outdoor heat.
To protect athletes, high school athletic programs follow strict protocols that include providing electrolyte drinks, scheduling longer and more frequent breaks, shedding heavy gear, or moving workouts indoors.
Mary Sutton, an athletic trainer at Premier Health and CJCHS, emphasized the necessity of proper hydration and frequent rest during periods of elevated temperatures.
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“Having plenty of cold water or some sort of electrolyte drink on hand to drink during practices, take more frequent breaks during practices and games, and longer breaks during practice and games,” Sutton said.
Sutton explained that protective pads and helmets required for heavy equipment sports can hinder the body’s natural cooling mechanisms.
“It just traps the sweat and the heat dissipation to your body,” Sutton said. “So removing those things, if you’re not feeling well or practicing without them. Can be an accommodation that can be made during temperatures such as where we might experience this week.”
Stebbins High School Head Football Coach Greg Bonifay oversees a varsity football roster of more than 30 players.
Bonifay noted that athletic trainers serve as an additional set of eyes and ears during workouts to ensure players do not overheat.
Bonifay detailed how specific temperature thresholds determine how his team conducts practice on any given day.
“It makes things a little tougher,” Bonifay said. “We’ve got a protocol here that we go by, and once it gets to that certain temperature, we sometimes go out with shoulder pads and helmets on; sometimes it’s got to be without helmet, even with nothing on, and if worse comes to worse we’ll be inside still getting work done.”
The team plans to continue adapting its workouts as weather conditions shift through the end of the week.
“I think it’s going to be hotter Tuesday and Wednesday than what it is on Friday,” Bonifay said. “A little bit of rain is supposed to be here on Friday too, which it is what it is. But we’ll prepare the best we can and still accomplish everything we need to accomplish.”
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