Hot and humid weather creates potentially dangerous conditions for athletes, especially on the football field.

A recent report from UNC-Chapel Hill says 25 high school football players have died of heat stroke nationwide since 1995. Three were in North Carolina. The report's author, Fred Mueller Ph.D., says those deaths didn't have to happen and it's up to coaches and athletic trainers to keep their players safe.

At Garner High, football players huddle around "the rail," a makeshift water fountain beside their practice field. With temperatures in the upper 80s as early as 8:30 a.m., it's a popular spot.

"Practice usually doesn't kill you," said quarterback B.G. Howell, a senior. "It's hard, but you just have to push yourself and drink plenty of fluids."

Frequent water breaks and early morning practice times are part of Garner High's strategy to keep players safe. And on the field, they are under the watchful eye of Mike Guerrero. "G" as he's known, is Garner High's athletic trainer.

"I'm looking for kids that are acting different, sluggish, those kinds of things that are not their normal selves," he said.

While other fall sports and even band camp force teens to tough it out for hours in hot conditions, experts say football players are at higher risk for injury because of the equipment they wear. And because, like Howell, they want to push themselves.

"Part of the problem in football is the football mentality, where you have to be tough," said Mueller, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's department of Exercise and Sport Science. "You don't complain, you play when you're injured, and you don't tell a coach when you're not feeling good."

Mueller has been studying athletes and sports injuries for most of his career. He says it's up to coaches and trainers to keep players healthy, especially in hot and humid weather.

That means checking conditions regularly and getting players out of pads or into the shade when it's too hot. Guerrero and other staffers even pitched in last year to buy a permanent shelter for their field to give players relief from the heat.

But with practices beginning in August, the heat can't be avoided. Parents like Steve Howell, B.G.'s dad, say dealing with it is part of the game.

"He's been playing since he was 10 years old, so it's a way of life," he said. "Sweat and heat goes with it."

• Dr. Fred Mueller, of UNC-Chapel Hill, says parents should get involved in keeping their athletes safe during hot weather, no matter what the sport. His suggestions:
• *Find out about the coach's background and training.
  *What are the plans for practicing in hot weather? Alternate times?
  *What are the plans for having water on the field?
  *What are emergency procedures if a player goes down? Do players know them?
• And monitor your athlete at home to see that:
• *he/she is drinking non-caffeinated beverages after practice
  *he/she eats healthy meals
  *he/she is not losing unnecessary weight
  *he/she is not nauseaus, is not vomiting, does not have a persistent headache

Related Links

1. See the latest Annual Survey of Football Injuries.