Trainers help high school athletes practice safely in summer heat

Duluth High School's football Wildcats were on the practice field Tuesday at 6 p.m., running plays until just before dusk.

They were back Wednesday morning at 8:15, in time to put in another three hours before temperatures climbed into the 90s.

They’ll repeat that routine over the next few months, carefully avoiding the hottest time of day, usually those hours between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

There’s good reason for that. Doctors and athletic trainers say strenuous activity in the extreme heat and humidity common to Georgia summers can pose serious health risks.

Dehydration can lead to heat exhaustion, which can lead to heat stroke and, in some cases, death, said Dr. Scott Maughon, chairman of sports medicine at Gwinnett Medical Center.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 300 Americans die of heat-related illnesses every year.

In an effort to reduce the risk to student athletes, Maughon initiated a partnership in 1992 between Gwinnett County schools and Gwinnett Medical Center’s Sports Medicine Program aimed at providing medical care on the sidelines at every practice and sporting event in the district.

Wildcats coach Corey Jarvis said that having certified athletic trainers at games and practice sessions to monitor the weather conditions and keep watch over players has helped the team avoid some close calls.

“I’ve gotten kind of spoiled now,” he said.

Jarvis said that when he's tempted to work a little longer, it’s good to have the trainer there to say, "Enough."

That happened, for instance, just last week when dark clouds rolled in and trainer Mindy Simmons was able to pinpoint how close bad weather was.

“It’s coming, coach. We have to get off the field,” Jarvis recalled Simmons warning him. “By the time we walked from the field to the field house, the bottom fell out. The wind was blowing hard and it started hailing and lightning.”

Simmons is one of 17 full-time certified athletic trainers who provide on-site medical services to school athletes -- including evaluations, diagnosis and treatment -- at high schools in Gwinnett and north Fulton counties.

Several local physicians also cover athletic events at about a dozen DeKalb County schools, said Ron Sebree, director of athletics for that district.

Heat injury starts with mild dehydration but is most severe when it's heat stroke, Maughon said. Once you get into that situation, it can be fatal.

People suffer heat-related illness when the body's cooling mechanism shuts down and they stop sweating, Maughon said.

Tim Simmons, manager of sports medicine support at the hospital, said the best way for anyone to stay safe in the summer is to drink plenty of fluids, avoid caffeine or products containing antihistamines and alcohol, wear light-colored clothing, and stay out of direct sun during the hottest parts of the day.

In addition, he said that athletes and their coaches should beware of high humidity, which depletes the body's water supply faster than dry heat.

Athletes also should pay attention to changes in their body. Excessive sweating or no sweating, clammy or pale skin, and cramping in the legs or arms may be signs that they are in trouble, Simmons said.

“When you feel that you may be experiencing any of these symptoms or heat-related injury, you need to immediately remove yourself from the heat,” he said. “Find a cool spot and someone to help monitor you.”

If the symptoms persist or get worse, call 911 or get to a hospital emergency room, he said.

The goal, though, is to make sure players never get that point, said Mindy Simmons, who has been with the program since 2003.