Last week two boys, 11 and 12, playing in the Tampa Bay Youth Football League, collapsed and died from heat stroke. Two days ago heat stroke took the life of a fifteen-year-old football player from an Atlanta high school. According to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, “There is no excuse for any number of heat stroke deaths since they are all preventable with proper precautions.”

The American College of Sports Medicine made an announcement last week in which they reasserted their recommendation that parents and coaches understand the impact of HEAT:

1. Hydration - “Young athletes are coming to practice dehydrated,” according to Michael F. Bergeron, Ph.D., FACSM, “they become more dehydrated as practice continues, and progressively more dehydrated on each succeeding day of practice.”

2. Environmental Conditions – The length of each practice should not exceed three hours (including warm-up, conditioning, instruction, breaks, and cool-down). Players should not use stimulants, including high-dose caffeine or “energy” drinks.

3. Acclimatization – the body needs up to 14 days of progressive activity in the heat to undergo the physiological changes that allow for sufficient acclimatization (the first three to five are the most critical).

4. Treatment – players should be closely monitored by coaches and staff for signs and symptoms of developing heat-related injury, such as, thirst, irritability, headache and dizziness, cramping and unusual fatigue, vomiting, hyperventilation, confusion and changes in personality.

Prevention starts at home. Make sure kids are drinking plenty of water throughout the day before practice. Once they start practicing the rate of dehydration accelerates.

Heat stroke kicks in when the body temperature goes above 104 degrees. As the temperature continues to rise, the body goes into multiple organ failure and blood starts to clot in the veins.

Here is a list of recommendations from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research:

· Acclimatize athletes to heat by gradually lengthening practices for the first seven to ten days and on other abnormally hot or humid days.

· Know the temperature and the humidity since it is more difficult for the body to cool itself in high humidity.

· Adjust activity level and provide frequent rest periods of 15 to 30 minutes during workouts of one hour.

· Give water regularly.

· Replace salt daily with liberal salting of food rather than by salt tablets.

· Weigh athletes before and after practice daily. Generally, a 3% body-weight loss is safe, and a 5% loss is potentially dangerous.

Following these guidelines could payoff significantly by keeping our kids healthy and alive.