Athletic Training Blog Series #4
Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer and MIAA Heat Policy
This past July the MIAA implemented a new Heat Modification Policy for all interscholastic athletics. You may have had practices canceled, times changed, or fields changed over the course of the fall season, and I am sure it will come into play when we are back playing late into June. While it seems kind of crazy, this policy was put in place for the safety of our athletes, coaches, and referees. Prior to this policy, Mr. Erickson and I would discuss each day’s weather and try to make educated decisions, this policy gives us hard guidelines. I thought it would be a great time to give an explanation of what it all means.
First of all what is the Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer(WBGT)?
This is the exact device we have 2 of at CHS. WBGT is the measurement of heat stress in direct sunlight that takes into account: humidity, temperature, wind speed, sun angle, and cloud cover. WBGT is the gold standard for measuring the safety of outdoor events.
The MIAA policy which used information from the Korey Stringer Institute at UCONN, and the National Athletic Trainers Association sets out 6 levels, and each has certain restrictions.
- The first is 76°. This level or below there are no restrictions to normal activity, and there should be 3 different rest breaks of 3 minutes each during the workout.
- 76.1°-81.0°- Use discretion for intense exercise, watch players closely, 3 breaks per hour of at least 4 minutes
- 81.1°-84.0°- Maximum practice time of 2 hours. Equipment intensive sports (Football, Boys Lax, Fockey Goalies) limited to helmets and shoulder pads, and all equipment must be removed for conditioning. For everyone 4 breaks per hour of 4 minutes each
- 84.1°-86.0°- Maximum practice time of 1 hour. No equipment may be worn, no conditioning activities, and 20 minutes of breaks during this hour.
- 86.0° And above- NO OUTSIDE ACTIVITY
So what did this mean this fall, and what are we doing to help prevent heat illness in our athletes. I took readings every day, and multiple times a day when necessary and logged them. There were only 8 readings (and mostly during preseason) that required total cancelation of outdoor activity. In most cases, we were able to either change practice times to accommodate the readings, or move from the Turf-which always read higher-to the grass and shady areas to finish sessions.There were 8 other days when we were in the 81.1°-84.0° zone which required adaptations on the behalf of our coaches and athletes. I am going to use this moment to thank them for being flexible and figuring this out with us.
But what do they do in Texas?? Yes Texas is WAY hotter than it is up here, but this is about acclimatization. Athletes in Texas live in that heat on a daily basis, we would need 45-50 days to acclimatize to weather they compete in, where we barely have 10-15 spread out from May-September. Things to learn from the southern states-practice early in the morning, or in the evenings after the sun sets. Learn to do more with less equipment and time. Limiting the exposure to dangerous levels of heat is the overall goal-thus keeping us all healthy.
Going forward we will be better able to plan schedules, particularly during preseason to avoid the hottest/humid parts of the day. We also have a tub in the field house for rapid cooling should it be needed-but the goal is always to stay hydrated, and let myself and the coaches know when you are not feeling great.
