The artificial grass at Monterey Trail High School in Elk Grove doesn’t require water but the athletes practicing on the turf Tuesday afternoon certainly needed it.
That’s why the football field has sprinklers and they were gushing during practice on the 100-degree day.
“We call it rainy days because the water hits them and all their jerseys and pants get all wet. So, their temperature goes down. They’re having fun at practice,” said varsity coach T.J. Ewing.
Ewing encourages his players to drink water at every opportunity.
And when kids are safe, parents can relax.
“Coaches do a really good job here at Monterey Trail,” said mother Julie Lopez. “They make them go get the extra water, run through the water hose. They actually keep the water hose on throughout the whole practice.”
“At the end of the day, you got to watch the kids. When they’re out here watch how they’re reacting to the heat, how they react to the movement,” Ewing told FOX40. “And this is a pad sport, so anything in pads outside you’re going to be overly heated. So, you got to really be conscious about what you’re doing with them.”
Away from the football field, people in East Sacramento got in their afternoon exercise routines. But over the next few days, with even hotter temperatures in the forecast, it might be healthier to skip the outdoor workout.
“And it’s really a bad idea to do it when the heat’s beating down on you when it’s 105 out there because you just can’t cool yourself,” said Dr. Jeff Rodgerson, who is an emergency medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento. “You know, you get light-headed, dizzy, you sweat, you get pale, clammy.”
Dr. Rodgerson cautions people in the Sacramento Valley to be aware of the symptoms of heat-related illness.
“You’re getting extra blood flow to your skin and you’re not getting blood to your vital organs and your brain,” he explained. “And so, you get a little bit confused because a lot of your cardiac output is going to your skin to try to cool you down.”
Rodgerson stressed the importance of hydrating with water and sports drinks and staying out of the sun as much as possible these next few days.
“Fortunately, in Sacramento, it’s so arid that if you can stay hydrated and stay in the shade, you usually can keep yourself out of trouble,” Dr. Rodgerson said.
