When is it too hot for youth sports?

[NotUrsula]

With kids that young, it is absolutely NOT worth the potential liability for what is only a game.

Most laypeople have no clue what heat exhaustion really looks like; and if you have not often seen it in person, it can fool you. (Heat exhaustion can very deceptive and not look like distress; it also often looks like fooling around and/or mouthing off because victims can get belligerent. At the point when they start vomiting or pass out they can be as little as 10 minutes from death.)

 

[Styx Fan]

At that age I can see absolutely no reason to have the kids out playing.

Of course, I am the mom who had a fit over my son playing soccer at around age 5 in a cold, pouring rain. What is the point? My son said let him play. If I had it to do over again, I would have pulled him.

My son would be kept home from your activity.

edited to add....my DS is 15 now and is supposed to have soccer conditioning with the team captains tomorrow morning. They started this week for our school year that begins after Labor Day. it is 3 days per week, for a couple of hours. They run around 3 miles, then scrimmage. He has decided not to go tomorrow and I fully support that. If it was right before a game, or a game itself, that would be different. But there is plenty of time to still prepare for the fall.

 

[turkeymama]

With kids that young, it is absolutely NOT worth the potential liability for what is only a game.

Most laypeople have no clue what heat exhaustion really looks like; and if you have not often seen it in person, it can fool you. (Heat exhaustion can very deceptive and not look like distress; it also often looks like fooling around and/or mouthing off because victims can get belligerent. At the point when they start vomiting or pass out they can be as little as 10 minutes from death.)

This.

I have had heat exhaustion. It sneaks up on you quickly. And once it hits, it can get really bad, really fast.

I think most kids would be okay for an hour or less, especially if you are keeping them hydrated prior to the game and during the game. When in doubt, keep them home though. I agree it isn't worth the risk.

 

[Elinor Dashwood]

When I was a camp director, we were required to severely limit activity (except water activities) when the heat index was 100+. I guess I don't get what there is in favor of having kids run around in heat like that?

I agree wholeheartedly. Our soccer coaches limit soccer practice and/or games depending on the heat index...for every degree over 90, they cut it by 10 minutes (or something close to that effect).

Heat exhaustion is deceptive. I've had it and it's scary! I thought I was fine but then I felt disoriented with a panicky feeling. My heart was thumping out of my chest and I just couldn't cool down. And that was when I'd already been drinking water for hours.

I agree, why have the kids run around in that heat? If they want to swim, that's a different story because that keeps their body temp. down.

OP, I totally think you made the right call.

Oh, forgot to mention that last winter, a young girl passed out during the choir Christmas recital because it was so freaking hot under the lights and in the building. There wasn't any warning, she just swayed once and went straight down. A little different than playing in the hot of summer but still illustrates that heat affects people and kids differently.

 

[DeaverTex]

Even the Army curtails outdoor training when the heat index hits 110 degrees. Only fully acclimatized personnel are allowed to do outdoor training, and it takes hawk-like oversight of them to prevent heat injuries, particularly when they won't watch each other.

I'll second that heat injuries can sneak up on you. Our docs always reminded us that heat exhaustion ALWAYS leads to heat stroke, and that heat stroke is ALWAYS fatal. The good news was that the chain could be broken at any point along the way, but the intervention becomes more radical the farther along the victim is. You really don't want to have one of the kids have IVs put into both arms -- very hastily, meaning kinda messy -- and watch them be carted off in an ambulance or helicopter, unconscious. Just trust me on that one. It's scary.

 

[dhardawa]

I don't know about your area, but in ours most of the schools don't have windows, so if the air goes, there is no ventilation what so ever. It was this way when I was in school. If the air went off or the power went out, they had a real problem.

Your school has no windows???? Is that even allowed from a fire safety standpoint?

 

[dimimi]

We also live in the midwest. When the heat index was over 100, practice was cancelled. The kids were also taught to drink water all day...that water consumed during practice wasn't as good as the water they drank before practice. (I am sure both are important, but supposedly the water during the day was even more helpful to keeping the body truly hydrated.)

 

[ohiomom28]

In the midwest, kids not real used to it.. I am in charge of a 5 and 6 year old flag football league, temp is current 100 with 110 heat index.. Too hot to play a game of 2 20 minute halves?

This is my DS's previous football extreme weather policy.

Heat Index of 90 degrees and above 15 minutes of practice
MANDATORY FULL 5 minute water breaks.
Heat Index of 95 degrees and above NO HELMETS NOR SHOULDER PADS
15 minutes of practice
MANDATORY FULL 5 minute water breaks.
Heat Index of 100 degrees and above A Heat Index at of 100 degrees or higher will delay practice start times.
A second Heat Index will be recorded at 6:00PM and sent to League Reps.
If the 6:00PM Heat Index is 100 degrees or above, practice will be CANCELLED.
If the 6:00PM Heat Index is below 100 degrees, practice may start at 6:30PM,
and the guidelines above will be followed for the 6:00PM Heat Index.

 

[Mickey'snewestfan]

I don't know about your area, but in ours most of the schools don't have windows, so if the air goes, there is no ventilation what so ever. It was this way when I was in school. If the air went off or the power went out, they had a real problem.

How is that legal? What about fire code?

In my area I have never seen or heard of a school without windows. Do you perhaps mean windows that open?

 

[mhsjax]

Your school has no windows???? Is that even allowed from a fire safety standpoint?

Nope it didn't. not in the class rooms. Actually not in anywhere. And I guess it s allowed, because they are still around, and I graduated in 1981.

 

[mhsjax]

How is that legal? What about fire code?

In my area I have never seen or heard of a school without windows. Do you perhaps mean windows that open?

Nope NO windows. and yes there are some schools that have no windows. We did have sprinkler systems in each class room.

 

[tvguy]

Nope NO windows. and yes there are some schools that have no windows. We did have sprinkler systems in each class room.

Well most of our schools were built during the baby boom of the 1950's, without A/C so all outside walls are lined with windows that open for cross ventilation.
Without windows that would not be possible, but the flip side of that is, without windows, it should be cooler inside with no sun coming in through windows.
I don't know about the building codes, but no windows doesn't sound like very good design plan.

 

[NotUrsula]

How is that legal? What about fire code?

In my area I have never seen or heard of a school without windows. Do you perhaps mean windows that open?

If she is in coastal Florida it doesn't surprise me. Schools are very often used as hurricane shelters, and the fewer windows you have, the better it is for that purpose: windows have to be boarded or shuttered during hurricanes.

As to the fire code, most non-residential buildings are built with the understanding that they will be evacuated via doorways, not windows. As long as there are sufficient exit doors for the occupancy load, it should be fine.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

When it comes to the risks of heat, I think there's a big difference between "real" football and "flag" football. It's been up to 100 here, and my middle schooler has been at football camp, but it's a no-pads camp. I wouldn't want him in full pads in the middle of the day in this heat, but I'm OK with him being outside in short/Tshirt with lots of water/gatorade and breaks in the air conditioning to watch game film or work in the weight room.

I'd be OK with a 40 minute football game for little ones, if there were lots of water breaks with someone watching to make sure they're actually drinking, and downtime mid game. Football isn't a sport with lots of sustained exercise, I think I'd be more comfortable with flag football in the heat than soccer.

My kids play the "real" football I didn't say anything about flag football.

 

[Sgt Mickey]

Could be but you never know. I know there are actually places that are more hot and humid than Florida. Also after thinking about it, our guys that pass out are in full gear, not flag. I am sure that doesn't help the situation.

I will let you know at the end of July ifI make it through my disney trip

 

[mhsjax]

If she is in coastal Florida it doesn't surprise me. Schools are very often used as hurricane shelters, and the fewer windows you have, the better it is for that purpose: windows have to be boarded or shuttered during hurricanes.

As to the fire code, most non-residential buildings are built with the understanding that they will be evacuated via doorways, not windows. As long as there are sufficient exit doors for the occupancy load, it should be fine.

I am in coastal FLorida.
I believe this school is used for a shelter.

 

[mhsjax]

I will let you know at the end of July ifI make it through my disney trip

Oh man, you are braver than I am.

 

[flexsmom]

Even the Army curtails outdoor training when the heat index hits 110 degrees. Only fully acclimatized personnel are allowed to do outdoor training, and it takes hawk-like oversight of them to prevent heat injuries, particularly when they won't watch each other.

I'll second that heat injuries can sneak up on you. Our docs always reminded us that heat exhaustion ALWAYS leads to heat stroke, and that heat stroke is ALWAYS fatal. The good news was that the chain could be broken at any point along the way, but the intervention becomes more radical the farther along the victim is. You really don't want to have one of the kids have IVs put into both arms -- very hastily, meaning kinda messy -- and watch them be carted off in an ambulance or helicopter, unconscious. Just trust me on that one. It's scary.

Thank you. The Marine Corps is the same. Black Flag weather conditions mean different approaches to training - and these are people who are training for combat, so it has been instructive for me to watch parent-coaches who are ignorant of the long-term impacts insist that they are just "toughening" up their kids to make them play in this kind of condition. Right.

My husband - also a former Marine - had an exhaustion issue 20 years ago. He had a similar problem two years ago after working in the garage for a few hours on a 95 degree, humid day. My son refers to it as "the day dad got stiff" because he literally seized up for almost 15 minutes. After 5 hours in the ER, a battery of tests, and additional IVs, it was determined that he was just more susceptible because of what had happened in his early 20's. The effect never goes away. Why start that cycle when you're 11 and playing a sport "for fun"?

 

[Chelley00]

My 16 year old is in the middle of 2 a days right now...2 hours soccer conditioning 9-11am (then an hour of weightlifting in the weight room after) and then soccer camp from 5-7pm. They had full practices yesterday (104 degrees) and today (102 degrees) However, the coach cut practice a little short and stopped for long mandatory water breaks which they usually don't do.