Caroline Rodriguez

Since June of 2023, a heat dome has been creeping east and College Park has finally ended up in its range. Just last Sunday, temperatures reached a high of 108 degrees, breaking a 114 year old record.

“This summer is brutal, we’ve had a lot of days with record high temperatures, and I know every summer’s pretty hot but this year, like last year, for example, we didn’t have all this concern about the heat and dangerous temperatures. But, I would say this year is pretty hot,” Freshman Cheer Coach Howard said.

The heat has been a major issue for the school’s athletes. Outdoor practice and prolonged heat exposure – Coaches have many precautions in place to protect our students.

“During practice we have what we call a Wet Bulb and so it basically monitors heat, humidity, wind and so the district says if we get to a certain level we have to practice inside, so we’ve been monitoring that,” Football Coach Minchew said, “We’ve already pushed the games back for varsity so it’s cooler and we’ll continue to monitor it and if we need to adjust it, we will.”

Coaches always make sure to keep an eye out for students and their health, and the Wet Bulb is another example of that. The focus appears on lower classmen since they are in the first stages of seeing these protocols as well as the highschool itself, but many if not all, upperclassmen are also witnessing their first heat protocols.

This August has been especially hot and has been a real threat to student’s health. “Recently, I’ve seen the temperature get definitely in the hundreds,” said Lauren Giardina, a College Park tennis player. The heat, she said, has been causing her problems such as, “throwing up, blacking out, feeling nausea…and it’s been bad.”

Being told to stay healthy and doing so are two different things. Luckily, other students have incorporated personal care routines for staying healthy as athletes and pushing through this heat wave.

“I try to stay hydrated, always drink a lot of water, and make sure I’m not wearing super hot clothes,” Revelier- Trinny Sears said.

All is under control with Coach Coats in keeping the student’s health in mind and making sure that every coach has the same intention on campus.

“I require all of my coaches to give multiple breaks for rest and water throughout practice,” Coach Coats said.

Though it is important for athletes to stay hydrated with water, it’s also important to the communities and the groundwater available to us. Many are not aware of the rate in which water is depleting. More on that in an upcoming story.