Some fall sports changed their practice times for the first time ever because of the heat. The football team has previously attempted to use 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. as an alternative practice time, but now they practice from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. when it gets too hot to safely practice at the regular 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. time.
“[The players] had some enthusiasm…[and]…they did a nice job,” Head Football Coach Keith Burns said.
The football staff uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and a real-time weather monitoring system to determine when the teams should practice. The Wet Bulb Globe Temperature accounts for everything from the duration of play to how hot it might be when wearing certain types of equipment to keep our players safe.
Another sport that practices from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. in the morning is Varsity and JV cross country, but unlike football, cross country consistently has early meets. This results in a switch for freshmen coming off of Middle School cross country seasons with practices from 2:30-3:45 p.m.
“[The new practice time] was definitely an adjustment, but I eventually got used to it,” cross country runner Emmy Strathemeyer ‘27 said.
As a benefit to the change, practicing early in the day helps runners avoid the heat. Field hockey has also practiced from 6:00 to 8:00 a.m. and had a game at 7:00 a.m. to avoid the heat, and although they have to wake up early to attend these practices, the players feel compensated when they get to leave school early those days.
“It was better because we don’t have to practice in the heat,” cross country runner Ty Williams ‘27 said.
Unlike football and field hockey, cross country has never changed from their normal schedule due to heat, but no matter the sport, all students want to compete.
“Everyone wants to get better, to try to get a win,” football player Guy Matthews ‘27 said.
