Atlanta

School sports practices to start up and here's what you need to know to keep your child safe

ATLANTA — Wednesday marks the earliest date Georgia football coaches can start conditioning practices for football players.

Channel 2's Craig Lucie spoke with a sports medicine doctor about what coaches and parents need to do to keep their kids safe in the summer's extreme heat.

Dr. David Marshall, with Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, said the humidity is probably the biggest risk factor for players right now.

He told Lucie that players and coaches have to always be aware of what the temperature and humidity is when it’s time to practice.

Travis Kimble is a DeKalb County educator, but over the summer he’s at the Alpharetta Community Center teaching young kids all about football.

He said the most important part of his coaching is safety. It seems every year we hear about a young Georgia football player who dies from heat stroke.

“Ask them if you need to take a break,” Kimble said. “I tried to keep a schedule of every 10 minutes.”

Marshall said the most important thing for your child can do if they are headed to a sports practice, is to prehydrate.

He told Lucie that kids need to make sure they are drinking their fluids today for tomorrow.

“Don’t wait to drink a gallon of water before the practice because you’ll probably throw up or feel bloated, so hydration actually starts the previous day,” Marshall said.

Marshall said it’s imperative coaches use a wet bulb globe meter to constantly track the heat index or monitor the conditions online.

“The heat index is important cause on a day here in Atlanta it might be 80 or 90 degrees temperature and 80 percent humidity and it feels like its 113. If it goes up to 85 degrees humidity, its 117 degrees, so I think clearly the body thinks it’s a lot hotter than it really is based on the humidity, so the coaches need to be aware of that,” Marshall said.

The heat index will spike in the mid to late afternoon and Marshall said coaches need to schedule early morning or late evening workouts when it’s a lot cooler to keep everyone healthy.