MURFREESBORO, Tenn. -
As Tennessee high schools prepare for the upcoming football season, student-athletes and their coaches are taking extra precautions in the extreme temperatures.
"We've got trainers on the field and we've got water at every station," said Ron Aydelott, head football coach at Riverdale High School in Murfreesboro.
The Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association has specific regulations when it comes to training and competing in the heat.
With the current heat index of 100 to 105 degrees, athletes have unrestricted access to water.
There are mandatory breaks every 30 minutes and ice-down towels are available.
If necessary, coaches will move practice inside.
Riverdale's quarterback Dillon Woodruff has seen how extreme temperatures can affect the team.
"Last year we played Smyrna and that was probably one of the hottest games we played," he said. "We were sweating like crazy. You couldn't get enough water and a bunch of players were cramping."
To get ahead of the symptoms of heat related illness, Woodruff said he drinks plenty of water before and after practice and also avoids sugary drinks and sodas.
Click here to read TSSAA's heat policy, which is the minimum standard to which Tennessee high schools must adhere.
