To protect student-athletes from the heat, the California Interscholastic Federation now requires schools to monitor weather conditions during athletic activities, affecting all sports. Since taking effect on July 1, many teams have had to reschedule or cancel practices and games because of extreme heat.
According to the CIF, the heat acclimatization plan splits school districts in California into three categories based on geographical climate: category one, two, and three. Each of these categories have specific temperature ranges for different zones, with corresponding restrictions on athletic activity in each zone.
To determine which temperature zone the schools are in on a given day, Grissom said schools use a reading called the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature.
“The WBGT takes into account many factors: the air temperature, cloud coverage, wind, humidity,” Grissom said. “All that stuff gives us a number, and that global thermometer number, based on the zone, restricts what kind of activity can happen in that area. If it’s 86.2 (for category 1), there can be no outdoor workouts and delayed practice or competitions until a cooler WBGT is reached.”
PAUSD is a category one school, so for temperatures above 92.1 degrees Fahrenheit, no outdoor workouts or contests are permitted. For temperatures between 90.1 and 91.9 degrees Fahrenheit, contests are permitted but maximum outdoor practice time is one hour. For temperatures between 87.1 and 90.0 degrees, maximum outdoor practice time is two hours and football and field hockey players have restrictions on how much gear they can wear. For temperatures between 82.2 and 86.9 degrees, at least three, four-minute rest breaks each hour must be provided. For temperatures below 82.0 degrees, normal activities are permitted.
According to ESPN, heat stroke is the third most common cause of sudden death among high school athletes. Since 1982, 67 high school athletes have died from exertional heat illness, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury. Most of the deaths occurred in August with 52% occurring in the beginning weeks of fall sports.
Central Coast Section Commissioner David Grissom said the regulations are meant to improve safety.
“There’s been quite a few catastrophic issues in regards to heat illness, not just in California but in the country,” Grissom said. “And so the laws were put in to try to mitigate some of those issues.”
Athletic Director Jennifer Crane agrees and said student-athletes have suffered from the heat in the past.
“Especially after athletes return from summer vacation, they maybe haven’t been exercising, and they’re thrown right back into the athletic arena along with the heat,” Crane said. “This is the State of California’s way of keeping our students safe. No sport is worth a human’s life.”
Crane said the athletic trainer has already used the WBGT on high-temperature days across different sports.
“We try to take readings when it’s a really hot day at each different athletic facility that our players are playing on because it differs based on the composition of where they’re playing,” Crane said. “For example, tennis was canceled because concrete absorbs heat, but water polo could play because when we put the device over the water, it’s a lot cooler.”
Track and cross country coach Michael Davidson said the regulations are more clear and take into account more factors than previous ones.
“In years past, it was a bit more ambiguous,” Davidson said. “They used just the overall temperature. What they changed is to take into better account what the weather conditions are. It could be overcast, and humidity could make it seem that much warmer, so it’s more comprehensive as far as what you can and can’t do.”
Beyond making readings more accurate, Crane said the guidelines make restrictions more straightforward.
“When subjectivity is in play, it’s the nature of athletes and coaches who just want to play,” Crane said. “This gives us a more concrete set of guidelines from which to function.”
However, as a result of these new state regulations, varsity football coach David DeGeronimo said players may not adapt to the heat, which could hinder their progress.
“I do believe we lose something in not playing in the heat because there are games that are very hot,” DeGeronimo said. “If we’re not practicing in the heat, how are you going to acclimate for the game? I want to keep the kids safe, but also missing practice time has some issues with it as well.”
But Crane said regulations will likely change to balance coach concerns with student health.
“Not all the kinks are necessarily worked out, but with anything new there’s always going to be different hurdles or barriers that we need to problem-solve and to overcome,” Crane said. “I could see that potentially changing in the future based on experience and data.”
While Grissom said the regulations may face pushback, he said they are necessary for the safety of student-athletes.
“There’s going to be challenges, contests could be missed, but I think those don’t outweigh the importance of safety for our students,” Grissom said. “The Sports Medicine Advisory Committee’s goal is for the greater safety for our kids throughout California, and knock on wood, but I’m not aware of any heat illnesses or heat deaths this year yet. I don’t think the same thing could have been said last year at this time.”