Heat acclimatization important part of getting ready for football season
MT. LEBANON, Pa. (KDKA) — The beginning of the high school football season is right around the corner.
Before a state title can be lifted, teams must go through summer workouts and training. The march to a state title starts with a single step, and in August that step can be extremely sweaty around here.
Heat acclamation week runs all week for teams across the state, and it's taken seriously by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association.
"It feels like football, the drill work you are doing with having pads involved," North Allegheny football coach Art Walker said.
This is the first week teams are running around in pads. The goal is to get players used to their equipment and the warmer temperatures. The PIAA is strict about how many hours students can practice.
"We find different things to use so that we are not out there for three, four, five straight hours. Plus, the guidelines are you can't do that anyway," Mt. Lebanon football coach Mike Collodi said.
Coaches and trainers make sure to have players hydrate throughout practices. In some cases, schools will have hydration tests or even weight checks to make sure no one is losing too much weight during practices. Outside of practices, coaches stress the importance of a healthy lifestyle.
"How they are supposed to be resting, eating and properly hydrating to be ready for the next day is important," Walker said.
Parents should talk with their children about how they are feeling after practice. Health experts said that communication goes a long way in making sure student-athletes stay safe out on the field.
"These student-athletes preparing all summer. So they know how they feel," AHN athletic trainer Craig Castor said.
Also, they have to communicate if they're not feeling good as they're practicing.
The PIAA takes this week seriously. Any athlete that does not have five days of heat acclamation can't participate in contact drills, which start next week.
"They will be set back at least a week, and they can't even participate in the Saturday scrimmage as well because they have not had any full contact yet because they had to redo heat acclamation because they missed one day," Collodi said.
Just because there was overcast on Monday doesn't mean the players aren't feeling the heat. Trainers said it's just as important to be hydrating and eating properly today as it is when it is sunny.