By RICHIE HALL
The heat is almost over in Central Indiana, as the excessive heat warning that has been in effect since Thursday is set to expire at 8 p.m. tonight.
Despite the hot temperatures, there have still been sports activity in Hamilton County, although some adjustments were made to accommodate athletes who were out in the heat over the past few days. That included the Shamrock Charity Challenge, an event hosted by the Westfield boys soccer team to benefit Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital.
The games were modified so that players were on the field for 20-minute periods, then would be sent to Westfield High School’s MPIF room for 10 minutes in between periods to get a break from the heat.
“We met with administration and obviously everybody wants to have this event,” said Anthony Scott, a trainer at the high school. “But we’re going to limit their exposure outside.”
Once athletes are in the air-conditioned MPIF, they have ice, water and ice towels to help cool them down. Of course, there were plenty of those items outside as well. In addition, players were only allowed to be on the field for 15 minutes during each 20-minute period.
“Nobody’s getting exposed too long,” said Scott.
Across the highway at Grand Park, the facility was hosting a baseball tournament from Pastime Sports. Brent Miller, the vice president and national tournament director for Pastime, said the tournament was following Grand Park’s procedures and guidelines regarding the hot weather. Miller said he has communicated with players and parents through emails and a tournament app that Pastime uses, reminding them to stay hydrated, take precautions, and do what is necessary to stay safe.
“We’ve tweeted out stuff on social media, making sure that people are seeing and understanding that, hey, it’s going to be hot,” said Miller. “We need you to take the proper precautions.”
“We always have medical staff on site at every tournament to ensure that any medical needs are met, including heat,” said Taylor Alexander, senior director of marketing at Pastime.
In addition, the game umpires are being looked after as well. Miller said that the tournament has staff dedicated to making sure umpires stay hydrated. Also, extra umpires are on hand; in case one starts to become ill from the heat, another umpire will step in.
The heat is finally expected to break overnight, and temperatures are expected to be cooler Monday and Tuesday. But this is Indiana, and it is summer, so it’s good to remember any tips for beating the heat during the next, inevitable string of hot weather.
The most obvious tip is this. “Hydration, hydration, hydration,” said Scott. “Your hydration for the next day starts 24 hours before your event starts.”
Scott said athletes need to be getting anywhere from 80 to 120 ounces of water as they begin their hydrating process. He also recommends salting their food, to make sure they get plenty of sodium in order to prevent getting an electrolyte imbalance.
Methodist Sports Medicine’s Jessie Kutz, who was working at the Pastime tournament Saturday, pointed out that a good way to tell if you’re hydrated – gross as it may be – is to look at your urine. A pale yellow color means one is well-hydrated, while an amber color or worse means it’s time to drink more water.
Kutz also said that while it’s good that athletes are focusing on their hydration, she said “it’s also important that they focus on eating, because we’ve had a lot of kids out here, they’ll be really, really fantastic with hydration, but then when it comes to actually eating, they don’t really eat anything all day.” She recommends staying away from greasy fast food and “focusing more on healthy meals that are a good balance of carbs and protein.”
And of course, simple common sense is a good guide for people to know what they can and cannot handle when it comes to heat.
“Listen to your body and don’t push yourself beyond your limits, because it’s not worth it,” said Scott.
Players on the Westfield boys soccer team were using anything could to stay cool on Friday as they played in the Shamrock Charity Challenge. The tournament made adjustments to games due to the excessive heat warning, having athletes playing shorter periods and having them go inside at regular intervals. (Richie Hall)
Kole McClain, the Westfield head junior varsity coach and varsity assistant coach, was among those making good use of the ice towels being provided during the Shamrock Charity Challenge. (Richie Hall)