If it's August, it's time in Texas for football and band practice

By Terry Evans and Alex Branch abranch@star-telegram.com

tevans@star-telegram.com,

Band director David Zahrndt sent his Colleyville Heritage High School marching band indoors Friday morning as the temperatures soared into the 90s.

"It's a little bit hot," he said. "We start at 7 a.m. and we're inside by 11. We're never outside in the heat of the day."

Marching band practice for many high schools began this week, and numerous football teams will begin workouts on Monday, just as North Texas enters its hottest part of the year.

Temperatures soared to 104 degrees Friday, the seventh consecutive 100-degree day this year and 19th overall.

But, hey, this is a cold front compared with last year, when we'd already endured 40 days of triple-digit heat, including 33 in a row.

Last Aug. 3, the high was 109, following a high of 110 on Aug. 2. A year ago today, it was 108.

So, really, let's keep the complaining to a minimum.

Those student musicians and athletes are probably ready for the heat - unless they've spent the summer inside playing video games, that is.

Experts say that those who have been inactive during the summer are the most likely to experience heat-related illnesses during workouts.

"If you've spent most of the summer inside in the air conditioning, then you're not going to respond well to the heat," said Dr. Damond Blueitt, a sports medicine physician for Texas Health Resources. "You want to start running one to two months before practice starts and allow yourself to adjust to the temperatures."

A lot of players have been doing summer conditioning programs in anticipation of Monday's first football practices, said Jason Braud, an athletic trainer at Fort Worth's Trimble Tech High School, one of the schools starting workouts next week.

For the first four days of practice, players are in an acclimation period, wearing shirts, shorts and helmets, Braud said.

"After that, they start wearing full pads for contact practices," he said.

Two-a-days aren't what they used to be, either, Braud said.

"We're not officially having two-a-days anymore," Braud said. "You're still at practice, still doing stuff, and you can be inside doing stuff, but you can't have them outside for two periods a day, and not back-to-back days."

Watching the heat index

The Fort Worth school district has a 105-degree heat-index policy, Braud said. When the heat index -- a calculation combining air temperature, humidity, radiant heat and air movement -- reaches 105, students can't be worked outside.

"Basically, it's when it feels like it's 105," he said. "We can't go back outside until the heat index drops below 105."

Most athletes recognize the importance of drinking water during practice breaks, but hydrating before practice also is crucial, Blueitt said.

Cramping is among the first signs of dehydration, while agitation or a change in personality is a possible symptom of heat stroke, he said.

Trimble Tech's practice field has four strategically placed 20-gallon water coolers and a 40-gallon cooler near the training stand, Braud said.

"I have four or five student trainers who circulate with water bottles, giving it to anyone who needs it," he said. "The players know that they can ask for water anytime they want to and can see a trainer anytime they don't feel good."

Trained to spot trouble

During Wednesday's marching band practice at Grapevine High School, some of the musicians were wearing camelbacks -- narrow, backpack-rigged water bladders that let wearers grab a drink whenever they want to.

"You may want to think about getting one of those," assistant director J.J. Pipton suggested to those not wearing them.

Brandt Leondar, assistant director at Grapevine High, said students are definitely feeling the heat.

"On the first day of the full band, we had about seven or eight who felt woozy or had to drop out," Leondar said.

Because marching practice is generally conducted outside, band directors are trained through the University Interscholastic League to spot signs that students are in trouble, Zahrndt said.

"We're well-versed in watching for the signs of heat exhaustion," he said.

Band members at both Grapevine and Colleyville Heritage typically stop every 15 minutes for water breaks.

Band practice will continue next week, when temperatures should continue to reach triple digits.

No relief in sight

Today's forecast high is 104, and highs should be similar through the middle of next week.

"We may cool down to about 100 during the second part of the week," said meteorologist Eric Martello of the National Weather Service in Fort Worth. "It's going to be hot and dry and people need to take precautions if they're going to be outside any length of time."

North Texas would have to receive rain before we see a significant drop in temperatures, Martello said.

A tropical storm system would work, but the odds are against it.

"We don't have anything in the Gulf at this moment," he said. "There's a tropical storm in the Caribbean named Ernesto. Basically, it's heading toward the Yucatan Peninsula, down around Cozumel and Cancun."

Cooler temperatures for Cozumel and Cancun? Now that's just cruel.

Terry Evans, (817) 390-7620

Twitter: @fwstevans

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