NASHVILLE, Tenn. -
Kickoff is just two weeks away for the Glencliff High School football team, and Coach Brandon Easley and his boys have been practicing hard already, with an eye on a State Championship berth.
"A healthy player is the best player out there. I don't want any player that's 90% or 75%," Coach Easley told News 2, "each one of our players knows it's selfish to go out there halfway."
Coach Easley says he and his staff are constantly monitoring their athletes for signs of concussion or heat illness, especially with August temperatures climbing into the upper 90s and often topping 100 degrees.
Coach Easley has utilized technology in his efforts to prevent heat injury among his players.
"They get constant reminders through text messages and email to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate," explained Easley, "We've also got the CoachSmart app through Vanderbilt."
The CoachSmart app, available for free in both the iTunes app store and in the Android market, monitors temperature, humidity, heat index and even nearby lightning conditions to help coaches make informed decisions about practice conditions.
Dr. Thomas Abramo of Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt says high school athletes aren't the only group at-risk for heat illness.
He advises parents to make sure they are monitoring their child's water intake when they participate in outdoor activities.
"Kids have a tendency to never really know when they're thirsty, so by the time they tell you they're thirsty they've already lost a lot of water," Dr. Abramo said.
"This doesn't just happen with football activity," Dr. Abramo noted. "It can happen with baseball, soccer, marching band, anything where they're out there."
Dr. Abramo told Nashville's News 2 to watch for warning signs such as excessive sweating, extreme paleness, confusion, unresponsiveness and vomiting.
If a young athlete displays these symptoms, Dr. Abramo recommends seeking medical attention immediately.
