In Texas, football is king. And at the peak of every summer the players begin to hit the field when temperatures are known to go well above 100 degrees.
“Well, Texas in general, it’s just hot,” said JR Knowlton. “It’s hot like no other.”
Knowlton is the athletic director for the Arlington Knights youth football club. The kids come to play, but every coach and every parent is on guard.
“Our main concern is heat exhaustion and the kids,” said Knowlton.
Scorching temperatures are ready to tackle any player who is not hydrated.
“This is the first team we've been on where they keep the kids really hydrated,” said Kashae Johnson, whose 6-year-old son, Kelle, plays for the Knights.
For the Knights, their defensive line against the heat is water and lots of it.
“Today’s been hotter than any other day,” said Johnson.
On Thursday, the temperature in North Texas reached 104 degrees, making it the hottest day of the year so far.
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“There is no adaptation to heat,” said Ryan Blankenship, a physical therapist at Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth. “You have to stay hydrated.”
Cook Children's hosted a sports symposium Thursday for school health personnel from across Tarrant County. Heat-related issues were among the many topics discussed.
“It’s very dangerous,” said Blankenship. “The little kids have a tougher time cooling off.”
In the next few weeks, two-a-day practices will begin for many high school football teams in North Texas. Health experts say a good thing to remember is to drink plenty of water throughout the day and not just when you feel thirsty.
“We like to make sure we stay on top of that, because if not, we don't want to lose one of these babies,” said Knowlton.
