SOUTH CAROLINA, USA — Temperatures are still high as the high school year begins for many students this week. That means that athletic departments are also in full swing.
Schools across the Midlands are finding ways to keep student athletes safe during these scorching temperatures.
Robert Matz is the director of Athletics for Richland County School District One and he believes that his team of coaches and athletic trainers are more than equip to handle the heat on the field.
“All of our coaches are CPR and AED trained,” said Matz. “All of our coaches know how and read about and get information regarding heat illness, concussion and all the different protocols that are followed for that. Plus we as a district have contracted trainers that work for us from PRISMA health. And so we feel like, we‘re as prepared as we possibly can if not over prepared.”
Like many of the schools in the Midlands, Swansea High School is taking steps to make sure their athletes are ready to hit the ground running.
Swansea’s athletic trainer, Molly Ryan, believes that the process of adding gear on a gradual timeframe also known as acclimatizing, allows athletes to adjust to the heat.
“First two days they are in just helmets,” said Ryan. “Then days three and four they are in shoulder pads, helmets, and shorts. And then days five, six and so on they are allowed to be in full pads unless the wet bulb says otherwise.”
Since the 2018-2019 school year, the South Carolina High School League has required all high school and middle school athletic departments to use a wet bulb thermometer. The reading of this instrument will determine what level of intensity a practice will host.
“It gives you a temperature and its more of a real feel like than the feel likes on the weather apps,” said Ryan. “It takes into account windspeed, cloud coverage, humidity, the temperature, the radiation off the ground. And then there’s a chart we go back and look at and it tells us pretty much exactly what they are allowed to do.”
Matz says he wants parent to be at ease with their kids getting proper care out on the fields as they are the number one priority.
“The concerns are always just, what are we doing, what are our procedures, how do we know our kids are safe,” said Matz. “Of course, this is education and the kids are our number one priority.”
Bothe Richland One and Lexington Four are encouraging student athletes to continue to hydrate throughout the day both before and after practices.