PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — It’s another scorcher across the Tampa Bay area. To be at their best for game day, kids still got out and practiced their sport while taking steps to stay safe in the heat.
"It's really hot. You've got to drink a lot of water,” said Ty Lee. "You want to drink a lot of water before the practice and like the day before too."
Lee said you get used to the heat fast if you’re conditioned.
The 12-year-old is going into the 7th grade at Starkey Ranch K-8 and is also on the football team, joined by his teammate Ollie Leonard.
"You've just got to keep your mind on playing the game,” said Leonard.
The high heat can take a toll on anyone, even without all the gear, so this team takes safety measures to stay on top of their game on hot days, like trying to mix up practice plans so that the more intense periods are backed up with more teaching periods.
“We have injury/heat-related ice ready to go. Some of my other coaches, on days when we're going to spend the full day on the practice field, they've provided canopies and pop-ups,” said Terry Bailey, the head football coach at Starkey Ranch. “We've had community members bring out coolers full of soaked towels and things of that manner, which has been very beneficial, and then when the gym is available, we also do combinations of outdoor, indoor split practice."
Bailey said they have water breaks often and focus heavily on hydration.
"We tell the kids all the time that you're not going to be able to hydrate five minutes before practice, that it starts the day before,” said Bailey.
Safety is the number one priority, so if players feel off in the middle of a drill, they can take a step back.
"We tell them that they're more than happy to run over, grab a quick splash, get out of the sun for a second, and then they can rejoin the drill at their leisure,” said Bailey.
