Timely Sporting News Article On Practicing In Extreme Heat

[PlummMeanGreen]

Jerry Jones commented in a weekend press conference in Oxnard that most doctors think it not very sensible to practice in extreme heat. Had a friend and his wife take a week vacation near Oxnard last week and it was 65-70 degrees the whole time.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nfl/story/2011-08-03/nfl-needs-to-set-example-stop-practicing-in-extreme-heat

[UNTstormchaser]

Very good article. Mr. "Ima Moron" really has no idea how difficult football practice actually is, nor how dangerous it is in the heat. I remember before my sophomore year, we hired some random strength coach to train anyone on the team that wanted to take part (it was RI high school, hence why it wasn't mandatory...not taken as seriously as football is here in TX haha). The dude was legit, had played D1 in college, and had been a personal trainer for quite some time. Even in 85 degree (but very humid) heat, the sessions were brutal. I got so dehydrated at one point that the colors of the grass and the sky were switched by my brain for a few seconds, and this was only 85 degrees without pads. Anyone that thinks it's safe for anyone of any physical condition at any age, let alone college, high school, and especially even younger levels, to be doing 2-a-days in 100+ degree heat in full equipment is out of their mind. When it comes to minors especially, any coach that tries to do that should be fired and imprisoned for some kind of torture charge, endangering of a minor charge, or whatever. And, god forbid someone dies, they should be charged with manslaughter. While I think the driving 100 mph comparison in the article is a bit unfair, it's still incredibly unsafe for a human being to be consistently pushed beyond their physical limitations for hours on end in extreme heat. How many kids need to die before people get a clue?

[UNTLifer]

It, practicing in 100 degree heat, can be done safely if the coaches follow proper guidelines like providing water, etc... throughout practice. To me, this is important when these athletes will be playing a majority of their games in these type conditions. You think 85 and humid was tough? What until that Texas Southern kickoff at 6:00pm to open up our home schedule this year, or Baton Rouge when we open the season with LSU. Sitting in the stands will be uncomfortable, but nothing compared to what our young men will endure playing football in front of us.

[UNTstormchaser]

It, practicing in 100 degree heat, can be done safely if the coaches follow proper guidelines like providing water, etc... throughout practice. To me, this is important when these athletes will be playing a majority of their games in these type conditions. You think 85 and humid was tough? What until that Texas Southern kickoff at 6:00pm to open up our home schedule this year, or Baton Rouge when we open the season with LSU. Sitting in the stands will be uncomfortable, but nothing compared to what our young men will endure playing football in front of us.

Oh I know, I was there last year for the Houston game. It's brutal. But they always can find a way to make it easier on the athletes in those situations, like starting the game later, having huge fans blowing tons of cool mist on the sidelines, etc. If they can mimic those conditions in practice that's fine, but I don't think there's anyway to make a 2 PM August practice in a place like Denton safe without going to ridiculous lengths to make it so. At that point, have 5 AM practices, or 11 PM practices, or something.

[adman]

Very good article. Mr. "Ima Moron" really has no idea how difficult football practice actually is, nor how dangerous it is in the heat. I remember before my sophomore year, we hired some random strength coach to train anyone on the team that wanted to take part (it was RI high school, hence why it wasn't mandatory...not taken as seriously as football is here in TX haha). The dude was legit, had played D1 in college, and had been a personal trainer for quite some time. Even in 85 degree (but very humid) heat, the sessions were brutal. I got so dehydrated at one point that the colors of the grass and the sky were switched by my brain for a few seconds, and this was only 85 degrees without pads. Anyone that thinks it's safe for anyone of any physical condition at any age, let alone college, high school, and especially even younger levels, to be doing 2-a-days in 100+ degree heat in full equipment is out of their mind. When it comes to minors especially, any coach that tries to do that should be fired and imprisoned for some kind of torture charge, endangering of a minor charge, or whatever. And, god forbid someone dies, they should be charged with manslaughter. While I think the driving 100 mph comparison in the article is a bit unfair, it's still incredibly unsafe for a human being to be consistently pushed beyond their physical limitations for hours on end in extreme heat. How many kids need to die before people get a clue?

Do you own a cat?

[UNTstormchaser]

Do you own a cat?

I have no idea where this is going but I'll play along I guess, haha. Why yes, I do. And she is overweight.

[UNTcrazy727]

Very good article. Mr. "Ima Moron" really has no idea how difficult football practice actually is, nor how dangerous it is in the heat. I remember before my sophomore year, we hired some random strength coach to train anyone on the team that wanted to take part (it was RI high school, hence why it wasn't mandatory...not taken as seriously as football is here in TX haha). The dude was legit, had played D1 in college, and had been a personal trainer for quite some time. Even in 85 degree (but very humid) heat, the sessions were brutal. I got so dehydrated at one point that the colors of the grass and the sky were switched by my brain for a few seconds, and this was only 85 degrees without pads. Anyone that thinks it's safe for anyone of any physical condition at any age, let alone college, high school, and especially even younger levels, to be doing 2-a-days in 100+ degree heat in full equipment is out of their mind. When it comes to minors especially, any coach that tries to do that should be fired and imprisoned for some kind of torture charge, endangering of a minor charge, or whatever. And, god forbid someone dies, they should be charged with manslaughter. While I think the driving 100 mph comparison in the article is a bit unfair, it's still incredibly unsafe for a human being to be consistently pushed beyond their physical limitations for hours on end in extreme heat. How many kids need to die before people get a clue?

85 degrees is brutal? Hahahaha man you had it so rough...

I did those 2-a-days in 100+ heat every year in high school and we did just fine because our coaches gave us the breaks we needed and we only practiced early in the morning and late afternoon. Those coaches truly cared about us and I can't help take offense to your comments. You tell me when high school teams are supposed to practice in August and it not a 100 degrees?

[PlummMeanGreen]

Proud alumnus of Texas HS football but I'm surprised as many of us Baby Boomers made it through 2-a-days.

Back in that day, you were not tough unless you had almost dehydrated all your bodily fluids and had organs closing down.

Hell, I remember in the mid-60's when I first started playing for Dear Old HS Alma Mater how we used to pop salt tablets like they were M & M's. Today, that would be on one of the Top 10 "no no's" list.

I remember Coach during 2-a-days bringing out a pouch of some green powdered stuff they called Gator-Ade. We call called it "green shit" back then but little did we know how much better it was than a water break (or multi-salt tablets).

Now keep in mind my dear ol' HS alma mater was 25 miles inland from the Gulf of Mexico so (like many of you) we had the good ol' Texas heat, high "Houston'esque" humidity and mosquitos that seemed almost bigger than cows at times.

I know we all concern ourselves with all this for our own Mean Green football players and wish we had that indoor facility more than ever with all these annual Texas heat spells. Hell, I worry about our own HFC being in this damn heat with his health concerns of which I think he made one helluva' miraculous recovery.

I do feel our North Texas coaches will do the right thing for themselves and our players with this extreme heat.

Edited August 1, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen

[MeanGreenTexan]

...

I worry about our own HFC being in this damn heat with his health concerns of which I think he made one helluva' miraculous recovery.

I do feel our North Texas coaches will do the right thing for themselves and our players with this extreme heat.

Yep. I think if we need to worry about ANYONE out there during 2-a-days, it's coach Mac, especially if there's no Grey Goose around to revive him.

[Harry]

Jerry Jones commented in a weekend press conference in Oxnard that most doctors think it not very sensible to practice in extreme heat. Had a friend and his wife take a week vacation near Oxnard last week and it was 65-70 degrees the whole time.

http://aol.sportingn...in-extreme-heat

Good article Plumm. As a dad who will have a freshman in high school participating in two-a-days in the next week or so I take this stuff very seriously. It's amazing that many of us who went through two-a-days back in the day survived. I remember going through it one year after a hurricane in Houston and with the humidity I thought I was going to die. I think with what we know now it is a whole different ball game and yet even still it is incredibly dangerous as we see casualties every year it seems.

[ntmeangreen11]

I played right down the road 5 years ago, we had a turf field. In case you didn't know, those tiny black pellets in the turf get really, really hot. My sophomore year our DC brought out a thermometer and it was 126 on the turf. Those pellets get hot enough to melt the bottom of your cleats.

[UNTstormchaser]

85 degrees is brutal? Hahahaha man you had it so rough...

I did those 2-a-days in 100+ heat every year in high school and we did just fine because our coaches gave us the breaks we needed and we only practiced early in the morning and late afternoon. Those coaches truly cared about us and I can't help take offense to your comments. You tell me when high school teams are supposed to practice in August and it not a 100 degrees?

Take offense if you want, I never implied that most coaches don't try to take care of their players. But there are plenty of coaches who don't. Even here in Rhode Island where no one gives a damn about high school football, let alone anything lower, coaches go way too far. My mother didn't let me play football in my town before high school because the coaches that ran the local team were a bunch of psychos that ran kids at 7 years old into the ground, until they were all puking their guts up. The reason I brought up the 85 degrees was to show that it's a lot worse here in TX, and people need to pay more attention. Besides, you Texans seem to think that 40 degrees is brutal...I'll walk around in shorts when it's 15 Anyways, kids are dying over this. That's the reason people make it an issue. Practice at 5 AM in August. The players won't like it, but like with everything else in football, oh well toughen up. Hold 2-a-days early, like one practice from 5-7:30, and then one from 9:30-12. It'll be pretty hot by the end of the second practice, but it will be a lot better than starting practice at noon and going until the afternoon. Or better yet, just hold one long practice from 5-10 or something. There are ways around it. Once school starts, hold a short practice before school at ends 30 minutes before school starts. There are plenty of ways to beat the heat. Even if it is still 90+ degrees during the practice, if the Sun is down that makes a huuuuuge difference. The Sun only makes matters worse, even if the temperature difference isn't much.

Edited August 2, 2012 by UNTstormchaser

[FirefightnRick]

It's amazing that many of us who went through two-a-days back in the day survived. I remember going through it one year after a hurricane in Houston and with the humidity I thought I was going to die. I think with what we know now it is a whole different ball game and yet even still it is incredibly dangerous as we see casualties every year it seems.

Let me guess, that was 1980? No water during breaks, just ice that year. Crazy.

The F5 played his first year last year, it was 112 at 3pm his very first game. I told him if he could survive that season it would be all down hill from there.

Rick

Edited August 2, 2012 by FirefightnRick

[adman]

I have no idea where this is going but I'll play along I guess, haha. Why yes, I do. And she is overweight.

Not going anywhere. I just caught a cat vibe from you and was curious.

Carry on.

[UNTstormchaser]

Not going anywhere. I just caught a cat vibe from you and was curious.

Carry on.

Technically it's my parents' cat, but....okay. hahaha.