Texas Implements New Heat Safety Rule for Student Athletes as Temperatures Soar
With the new academic year around the corner, student athletes in Texas are gearing up for fall sports amidst sweltering heat. As temperatures climb, how are safety protocols evolving to protect these young athletes?
Across the nation, student-athletes are preparing for the start of fall sports. This month, millions will take to the fields just as some of the hottest weather of the year hits. Bianca Seward from Houston Public Media delves into a new safety regulation being introduced in Texas.
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UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: Let’s go.
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BIANCA SEWARD, BYLINE: The North Forest varsity football team in Houston battles the state’s infamous hot and humid afternoons, which are notoriously punishing.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #1: Describe the Houston heat in one word? Horrible.
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #2: Torture is the only word I would use (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED STUDENT #2: Torture. That’s crazy.
SEWARD: The harsh conditions are not to be underestimated. In August, temperatures typically hover in the mid-90s, according to the National Weather Service. The Environmental Protection Agency notes that around 9,000 student-athletes receive treatment for heat-related illnesses annually.
Dr. Sujit Iyer, a pediatric emergency medicine doctor at Dell Children’s Medical Center in Austin, explains that August poses significant risks for student-athletes in Texas, with the potential for rare but deadly heatstroke.
SUJIT IYER: Although there’s only a few cases of heatstroke every year that makes the news, when those kids come in, they often die. Up to, like, 33% of them die.
SEWARD: Dr. Iyer emphasizes the importance of acclimatizing to the heat as a crucial preventive step for young athletes.
IYER: Just remember that exercising alone produces heat, and so you’re combining two things. You’re combining kids who maybe not have been exercising all summer, now not ready for the heat, now producing more heat, which can be just a bad combination to then cause injury.
SEWARD: He advises students to heed their bodies’ signals. If they feel weak, confused, nauseous, or dizzy, they should rest and hydrate.
This year, Texas introduces a pivotal safety protocol. Teams must now consider the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) reading prior to any outdoor activity. This comprehensive heat risk assessment accounts for air temperature, humidity, wind speed, and cloud cover. Jamey Harrison, executive director of the University Interscholastic League, which oversees high school sports in Texas, calls it “the national gold standard for keeping kids safe when working in the heat.”
SEWARD: Texas aligns with 17 other states in mandating WBGT readings. These readings guide coaches on when to modify or cancel outdoor practices. Brian Zettler, chairman of the board for the Texas State Athletic Trainers’ Association, notes that the approach to athlete safety has evolved significantly.
BRIAN ZETTLER: The evolution of the athletic training profession is by far the biggest difference.
SEWARD: Zettler highlights the crucial role athletic trainers play in monitoring athletes for heat stress. However, athletic trainers are not universally required. According to the National Athletic Trainers’ Association, only 37% of public high schools employ a full-time athletic trainer. In smaller schools, this responsibility often falls on the coaching staff, which Dr. Iyer acknowledges can be challenging.
IYER: I think it’s more difficult when you’re the coach who’s trying to run a practice, who’s trying to kind of manage people and then you have somebody who has a complaint, right? And now you’re trying to triage that complaint to see if it’s something that needs more medical attention or if it’s something that just needs some rest.
SEWARD: The new safety measure currently applies only to practices, not game days, despite the potential for extreme heat during games.
For NPR News, I’m Bianca Seward in Houston.
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