This summer, Spartan sports dealt with the ruthless Memphis heat, an immovable obstacle affecting practices, hydration and player health. Football, women’s soccer, cross country and marching band all faced adversity through the blistering summer heat.
“At the beginning of the season, so you know, in July and August, there definitely were days where the heat index was too high and we couldn’t practice outside,” women’s soccer coach Ruthie Ivy said.
Many adjustments had to be made for practices. Indoor skills training and early practices were alternatives implemented to maximize practice time; however, brutal temperatures and climate led to occasional cancellations. Football defensive coordinator Christopher Pope has experienced the difficulties of the heat in his 14 years of coaching.
“We practice in the morning to try to avoid the heat because after [the] heat index gets to a certain point, you can’t be on the field anyway,” Pope said. “I don’t think we’ve ever had to come off the field for [the] heat index early in the morning.”
For the marching band, the extreme heat inhibited practices. These consequential setbacks delayed their field show.
“There were many weeks …where we were not allowed to even go outside because of [a] heat advisory and restrictions placed [by] the principal that said ‘don’t go outside, we don’t want anybody having a heat stroke,’” assistant band director William Bodley said.
For athletics programs throughout the Memphis area, student health and safety has been a top priority, yet a tragic incident occurred when Bolton High School’s Joshua Henderson passed away from complications of a heat stroke. This terrible event served as a wake-up call for many, including Coach Ivy.
“With that tragedy, it just calls attention to how serious[ly] you should take the heat, and giving water breaks, never restricting water breaks,” Ivy said. “It’s like …if a girl would practice [and say] ‘I need a water break,’ [I say] ‘yeah, go get water.’”
Hydration is paramount to player health and preparation for competitions. Due to the high amount of energy exerted through doing intense physical activity, the body loses water through perspiration. Athletes must prepare for their competitions with long hydration processes.
“We like to know when our runs are because [we need] to drink extra water to get more energy for ourselves because the heat tends to make us lose a lot of energy,” Riya Shrestha, cross country runner, (9) said. “So we tend to double or triple our [usual] water amount”
The football team also follows a long hydration process to prepare for their games. The physicality of football games requires this high level of hydration.
“So after the previous game, [we have] recovery over the weekend and then that Monday, you should start hydrating, start drinking water every day,” Pope said. “It’s not a one-day thing right before you go get ready to play.”
The summer heat has been a rough obstacle for the coaches, players and their health. It is a stimulus that has made adjustments necessary to keep students safe, yet remain productive for season preparation.
“For our protocols, we were pretty much able to stay under the radar of the heat all summer by [practicing] in the morning, and then we did a lot of things indoors during our morning workouts,” Pope said. “So the kids weren’t always on the field the whole time. But as a coach, your first and foremost priority is your student athlete’s safety.”
