ROELAND PARK, Kan. — Heat indices continue to reach triple digits in Kansas City as the region continues to push through an extreme heat wave that is sweeping through the Midwest. High temperatures and high humidity are forcing high schools to modify team practices in an effort to keep students safe.
Among these high schools is Bishop Miege High School, located in Roeland Park, Kansas. Earlier this week, the school's athletic trainer decided it was simply too hot for the teams to have after-school varsity soccer, cross country and boys soccer practice to practice in the morning.
“We have our trainers here full time and he monitors the weather and the wet bulb for us and alerts me when we're lifting in different zones and when we need to take water breaks and how long those water breaks need to be,” Bishop Miege explained. head football coach John Holmes;
The Kansas High School Activities Association is reporting recommendations for member schools to follow to help prevent, recognize and treat heat illness. Among those recommendations are having routine water stations as sports practices and reducing equipment worn on the field to prevent heat stroke.
Tim Hellhake/KSHB
“We've been watching the forecast for quite some time,” Bishop Miege cross country coach Joann Heap said. “With the long distance you get hot and you have to tell the guys to take breaks.”
The National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research reports that 28 high school football players died of heat stroke during exercise between 2008 and 2017.
“The humidity – you can definitely feel it – you sweat a lot,” said Dominic Werner, a soccer player at Bishop Miege. “All you can do is stay in the AC, hit the water, stretch and sleep.”
It's unclear how long the morning practice will last, but the high school says if temperatures continue to reach the triple digits, morning practice will be held for the rest of the week.
“I feel like it's better to practice in the morning, it's just hard to wake up,” Azael Gamboa said with Bishop Miege Soccer.
