Sports

Suwanee High School Football Players Feeling the Heat

Coaches, trainers taking precautions as temperature soars.

Hot weather in August is nothing new in the Suwanee area, but the extreme temperatures of recent days have had an added effect on high school football practices.

Players from Suwanee's three high schools -- Collins Hill, North Gwinnett and Peachtree Ridge -- put on the pads Monday to prepare for the 2011 season. They already had been working out in the summer without equipment, but things really got intense when this week's heat index readings hit triple figures.

North Gwinnett trainer Doug Wardy pointed out that a couple of freshmen got overheated this week during practices, so they were pulled aside to recover.

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The Bulldogs were practicing in the Georgia Dome on Wednesday in preparation for their opener Saturday, Aug. 20, in the Corky Kell Classic, so heat was not an issue. Normally the team would practice twice daily, starting at 6:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. However, the evening practices sometimes are delayed until 6:30 p.m. if the heat is too intense.

Peachtree Ridge AD Bill Holleman noted that new Lions coach Mark Fleetwood has delayed evening practices a few hours because of the heat. The team also has had practice time in the Georgia Dome in preparing to face Walton in the Kell Classic.

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Holleman said no incidents have been reported of athletes adversely affected because of the heat.

These and other Gwinnett County schools have system-imposed guidelines to observe in hot weather.

The guidelines call for a "red flag" warning when the heat index hits 100-105. Among the procedures: pads will be removed and water breaks are mandatory every 30-45 minutes. Practices will be limited to two hours in these conditions.

Practices will become once daily when classes start in Gwinnett on Aug. 8.

In Georgia this week, football players from Locust Grove High and Fitzgerald High collapsed and later died; no official rulings in the deaths had been issued as of Tuesday, though heat is widely suspected to be a factor.


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