Anybody else have kids that are playing youth football in this heat??

Axl_sued_me

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What are you doing to help him prepare? Mine went one week without pads already to condition for the heat. First night of pads is tonight and there is a heat advisory. 112 in heat index. I'm a bit nervous. But I am loading him up with Gatorade and water.

 
Try Pedialyte, it has extra electrolytes. It's very similar to what we gave the players at Clemson for dehydration.

Also, put a small towel in the freezer, send it to practice with him wrapped around ice, stick it in a cooler, so he can have it for the breaks.

Most importantly, make sure you're out there and that the coaches are giving the kids adequate breaks for this weather.

Hope this helps.

 
My son just started practices this morning at 8. After a 3 hour practice he was plum wore out. I've been harping on him to drink lots and lots of water. Even bought a bunch of Gatorade for him to drink before, during and after practice. We're in the same boat with the triple digit heat index.

 
Just be careful when pushing the water that you're balancing it out with electrolytes. Gatorade is a good idea to mix in with the water. A guy from the office had to go into the hospital because he OD'd on water a few weeks ago. Water is good, but you can overdo it. Be careful.

 
One thing we always stressed to the parents was to make sure the kids acclimate themselves to the heat. Don't let them set in the air conditioned house all day, bring them to a workout in a car with the air conditioning going full blast and then throw them out in a bake furnance and expect them to be able to handle the heat. I always wanted them outside doing some low-activity type of stuff before practices so their bodies would be able to handle it...that and plenty of fluids should get them through workouts in the heat.

 
So far my son has been doing really good with the heat. He's tired and worn out but hasn't gotten sick at practice like a lot of the other kids. He spent a lot of times outdoors over the summer playing with friends, mowing the lawn etc. Today's practice is at 6pm which could be a nice change of pace since the temps will gradually decrease instead of increasing. My wife and I bought him a bunch of G-Ade's to drink before and after practice which he's been doing. We took him and his friend to get something to eat and instead of ordering a coke or something, they both ordered water. It was nice to see.

 
Good advice from all, I know MOST coaches try to accommodate for the excessive heat, but in turn they are trying to get as much done as possible for the first game which some walk a fine line. Keep an eye on them, I was a young player once too, and it is hard for them to tell a coach or parent that they are sick or don't feel right, for loss of practice time and fear of not playing....

 
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