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The Rising Heat & Athletics

by Dr. Melinda Bossenmeyer

Dr. Bossenmeyer is a retired school administrator and physical education teacher. She is founder of Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. and consults as an expert witness in lawsuits involving student injuries.

Earlier this week I wrote an article entitled, Dangerously Hot Playgrounds. [1] In the article I spoke of school plans to deal with the rising heat and how playground asphalt and the rubber matting under play structures represented some of the hottest places on school grounds.[2] We also discussed grants for playground renovations and shade structures if you are looking for funding in these areas.

Later in the afternoon I attended my granddaughter’s flag football game. She lives in Corona, in Southern CA and although it was October 1 the temperature at 4pm in the afternoon was 96 degrees. Her varsity flag football games last approximately 1 hour. This temperature is not unusual for early fall in Southern California. Basically, from May-October I rarely turn off my air conditioner due to the “extreme weather”[3], unhealthy heat posing a moderate risk (Monday-Thursday) as it is described by the New York Times.

This same week, a local headline stated, “At least three California students taken to hospital for heat-related injuries.” These injuries highlight the effects of extreme heat on health as the country and schools grapple with increasingly severe weather.

Cal Fire and the fire department in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, reported responding to a cross-country meet in their City where they evaluated five juvenile patients for “general weakness”. Three were transported to a hospital for further evaluation according to the newspaper article.[1] The recorded temperature on Oct. 1 was 96 degrees and October 2, it was 97 degrees. Cross country participants run a distance of 3 miles. Is it any wonder that 5 runners got ill after running 3 miles in a competitive race in 96 degree heat? I would think a reasonable adult would find this troubling. I guarantee the parents of the three students transported to hospitals due to illness or “weakness” as their symptoms were described in the newspaper will be less than understanding as to why students competed in 96 degree heat in a cross county meet – or they will ask what was done to ensure proper hydration before and during the meet.

When courts look at school negligence, they consider if the actions of the coach/school were those of a “reasonable adult.” That is the yardstick one is measured against legally. Additionally, the courts look at could the incident, illness, accident, resulting in a sick child taken to emergency room have been avoided? I think we can agree the answer is yes. Rescheduling the meet would have been an appropriate alternative albeit not convenient. Dangerously high heat situations across many parts of the country will only get worse in the near future not better so schools need to begin to plan accordingly.

Back to the flag football game. The previous picture in this article is the game preceding my granddaughter’s game. I was impressed with the pop-up covering allowing for shade and the huge water container on the left side of the picture. There was also bleacher seating under the covering which is not always available. I was impressed that the hosting school provided the water and shade covering for the high school girls teams.

When my granddaughter’s game started about 30 minutes after I arrived it was 5pm and the temperature had dropped to a still sizzling 93 degrees. As the previous team departed, so too did the large canister of water and the shade-covering. The good news is no one got sick that I was aware of at least during the game as a result of the heat or lack of proper hydration. The nice thing about flag football is that the girls are not loaded down with equipment or covered over 75% of their body with a uniform designed to prevent injuries. The girls’ flag football team is provided with helmets to limit head injuries and needless to say, I’m all for flag instead of tackle football. (That however, is another article.) So, safety is a consideration by providing the helmets for each athlete as a necessary safety piece of equipment which schools regularly provide routinely. The next step is interventions to combat the dangerously hot heat.

Earlier this year I wrote another article bringing to light how important it is to prioritize heat safety on the school site, “A Principal’s Call to Action on Playground Heat Safety Following a Tragic Accident,[1] was about a local school in the district where I live in Lake Elsinore. Last year the death of Yahushua Robinson, a student who died from heatstroke during physical education class, serves as a heartbreaking reminder of the very real dangers posed by extreme heat.

Heat safety is a shared responsibility. High school girls can and (in my observation) most often do bring large water bottles to games to stay hydrated which is essential to health and well-being. The shade provided by pop-up sunshades is also important especially in the summer and early fall months when the heat index climbs to what the NY Times terms “Extreme Weather” conditions. As we adjust to the extreme weather swings brought about by climate change so too should we plan for water and shade for young athletes throughout the season. It may be as important as the helmets for some students who may be suspectable to heat exhaustion or basically expend high amount of energy in a competitive game setting which puts their health at risk as demonstrated by the cross-county meet.

A shout-out and similar note, perhaps due to outdoor participation in year-round swim programs, most schools whose teens make high school swim teams enjoy the benefits of the portable pop-ups for shade during all their swim meets in early spring and those portable pop-ups travel with them at both home and away swim meets through the end of the season.

As we transition to more extreme heat days in the future, some important solutions to extreme heat or simply “hot” days that make a huge difference are water to rehydrate and shade covering. Principals and coaches are important in providing these two essential safety considerations.

*Note- One week later the Flag football team traveled with their pop up shade canopy and local team hosting playoffs provided water for all participants.

Featured Article by Melinda Bossenmeyer, Ed.D. Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. ©Bossenmeyer

2024

[1] Bossenmeyer, Melinda. Dangerously Hot Playgrounds. Peaceful Playgrounds Featured Article. Published

9-29-2024. https://peacefulplaygrounds.com/?page_id=471159&

[2] Texas Tech University. “Dangerously hot playground temperatures explored by researcher.” ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 11 November 2015.

[3] “Today’s Weather.” New York Times. Extreme Weather Section October 1, 2024. https://mail.google.com/mail/u/

[4] This same week, a local headline stated, “At least three California students taken to hospital for heat-related injuries.” These injuries highlight the effects of extreme heat on health as the country and schools grapple with increasingly severe weather.

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[5] Cal Fire/Riverside County Fire Department @CALFIRERRU. Medical Aid-Multiple patient incident-rpt @ 4:14 p.m. 16700 Block of Davis Avenue in Riverside, CA. Multiple patients at a Jr and Sr High School Cross Country Meet. Five Juvenile patients were evaluated for general weakness. Three transported for further evaluation. https://x.com/CALFIRERRU/status/1841291173174120596

Featured Article by Melinda Bossenmeyer, Ed.D. Peaceful Playgrounds, Inc. ©Bossenmeyer

2024

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Shade Structure Grants

The AAD (American Academy of Dermatology) Shade Structure Program is open to 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations and public schools that provide services, programs, and curricula to children and teenagers who are 18 and younger.

https://www.aad.org/public/public-health/shade-structure-grants/shade-structure-grant-application

https://www.aad.org/public/public-health/shade-structure-grants

The application dates are Oct 1- Dec 15, 2024.