Extreme Kansas heat impacts high school athletes

TOPEKA ( KSNT ) – Hot temperatures are sweeping through northeast Kansas this week, creating some challenges for high school athletics.

Temperatures are expected to peak near triple digits . This comes at the starting time for high school sports, creating an inconvenience and safety hazard for athletes who practice outdoors. Mike Longhofer is an athletic trainer at Cotton O’Neil Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, and Seaman High School’s head athletic trainer.

He told 27 News, when temperatures rise, it’s crucial to act accordingly to keep athletes safe.

“We have to make strict restrictions and get them out of the environment that puts them at a high risk of suffering a heat illness,” Longhofer said.

High schools determine if it’s unsafe to hold practices outdoors by using a wet bulb , a device given to all high schools through the Kansas State High Schools Activities Association ( KSHSAA ). The bulb takes a specific measurement to the locations where it is located. It takes into account temperature, solar gain, wind speed, and humidity.

The wet bulb has five ranges for measuring weather: green, yellow, orange, red and the range for extremely hot temperatures, black.

“Today is a black day,” Longhofer said when asked about what the bulb read this afternoon. “No activities until the temperatures drops, which isn’t going to be anytime soon.”

Seaman moved their outdoor practices indoors today. The school told 27 news for the rest of the week, outdoor sports practices will be held before school at 6:00 a.m. instead of in the afternoon.

KSNT 27 News also spoke with Hayden High School about how extreme heat is impacting its athletes, specifically football.

“Are heat index is 110, so we’re going to spend part of the time inside, part of the time outside tonight,” Hayden High School head football coach, Brooks Barta said. “We’re gonna do some things in here that we can do mentally then we’re gonna go outside and get better.”

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