Isle players in good hands
| • | Vikings sorely miss 'Big K' |
| • | The effects of heatstroke |
By Stacy Kaneshiro
Advertiser Staff Writer
As football practice continues under the summer heat, high school athletic trainers warn players to stay as hydrated as possible.
Cory Lum • The Honolulu Advertiser
It is advice they have recommended to athletes even before Minnesota Vikings lineman Korey Stringer died yesterday of apparent heatstroke.
Athletic trainers say keeping high school football players hydrated is vital during the long, hot days of summer.
"At camp, we make sure they are rehydrated every day," said Punahou trainer Beth Ann Young, president of the Hawai'i Athletic Trainers' Association.
Trainers contacted by The Advertiser said there are a number of precautions taken to protect athletes from heat-related illnesses.
A number said they use a sling psychrometer to measure relative humidity in their area. A numerical scale determines how strenuous a workout will be. It ranges from working out in full pads to just working out with shorts, T-shirts and helmets. The most extreme measure is to cancel practice.
Wai'anae trainer Sharyn Kodama said she once canceled football practice several years ago because of a dangerous level of relative humidity at the school's ocean-front campus.
Young said that tradewinds temper the humidity in some areas, but there are places on O'ahu, like the Leeward Coast, that get too hot.
Trainers said they monitor players' weight to detect heat-related problems. Players are weighed before practice and after. Young said for every pound of body weight lost, the player should drink 16-24 ounces of water or a sports drink. The trainers do not recommend sodas because caffeine acts as a diuretic, causing urination.
Damien trainer Marcus Oshiro said if a player loses about 5 to 7 pounds, he counsels them. He said last year, one player dropped 15 pounds after a morning workout.
"We kept him out (of the afternoon practice)," he said.
Young said athletes can monitor themselves by checking their own urine. "It should be clear, not yellow," she said.
The trainers said water should be readily available on the practice field. Kamehameha trainer Cindy Clivio said water wagons are open to the players at any time during practices.
Clivio said early symptoms of hydration problems include dizziness and headaches. She said most athletes will tell the trainers if they aren't feeling well, but there are some who don't.
"We're more worried about the overachievers," she said. "They're the ones less likely to take a break. They're the ones you have to keep your eyes on."
The trainers said that heavy athletes, like linemen, need to be closely monitored.
"Heavier athletes do not regulate their temperature well," Young said.
Young said trainers also monitor an athlete's ability to acclimate to a new environment.
She said, for example, a person from a cold climate would need some time to acclimate himself to a place with a warmer climate.
In wake of Stringer's death, the Hawai'i Athletic Trainers' Association is expecting some informational memo from the National Athletic Trainers' Association regarding heat-related problems. McKinley trainer Shawn Yoshimura said the national body always issues one when something major happens.
Most of Hawai'i's high school athletic trainers are nationally certified. Every public high school is supposed to have one. Private schools on O'ahu either have their own or contract one from sports medicine clinics.
