2nd HS football player dies (Georgia)

[marmar]

from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:



The father of Locust Grove High School football player Forest Jones, who died Tuesday night after passing out a week ago at a voluntary workout, said his son loved the game and "pushed himself too hard."

“He wanted to do it for me, so that when I got older he could take care of me,” Glenn Jones said Wednesday.

Jones, 16, was the second Georgia player to die on Tuesday, following the death of a South Georgia student at a football camp, and officials are trying to determine the effects of hot weather on both players.

Fitzgerald High School defensive lineman DJ Searcy died Tuesday morning after practice at a camp in northern Florida. The 16-year-old was found unresponsive in his cabin, according to the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.ajc.com/sports/high-school/dad-says-son-who-1068806.html

[w8liftinglady]

1. hmmm...and a certain someone wondered why mom made him sit out tonight's practice

110 degrees at 4 PM.

[tammywammy]

4. It's too hot out for them

And the poor band members too. I heard on the radio a few schools moving at least band practice indoors. I also heard they're giving water breaks very 15 min or so. Too hot for those kids to be out in this. Way too hot.

[TBF]

6. It was crazy today - we had to keep our sandals on at the local pool

until we got to the water - the concrete was too hot for bare feet. Good call on not letting him go to practice.

[malaise]

15. Show him this sad story n/t

[BlueJazz]

2. "trying to determine the effects of hot weather"

Gee...I don't know that one.
I...I don't believe anyone has had any experience with that scenario.

Unbelievable

[Pacifist Patriot]

3. Just jaw dropping, that statement.

[a la izquierda]

5. Our university football team is practicing...

at 615am or some ungodly hour like that (either 615 or 645).

[tammywammy]

8. High school teams are out early too, including band members.

I know around here, the DFW area, they're practicing outdoors morning and evening to try and avoid the hottest part of the day. They're not avoiding much when the night time low is only 88.

[TBF]

10. I used to run marathons

in my earlier years. Here in Houston we'd start practice as early as 5:00 am in the summer so we'd finish by 8:00 am. You can sleep the rest of the morning, but you really don't want to be out running in that heat after the sun comes up.

[a la izquierda]

24. My husband races mountain and road bicycles...

and I used to until sidelined with injury. No matter, though, because it's been so hot that nobody's riding much. Riding in the dark is about as unsafe as riding in the heat.

[Horse with no Name]

7. Our HS limited outside practice for 2 hours per day

no later than 9 am.

For band also.

7-9 am outside practice, 9-12 and 2-5 indoors doing weight training, sprints and steps.

It seems to be a pretty decent compromise...but it was already 90 degrees at 5:30 this am.:(

[w8liftinglady]

20. my son's school had practice in the afternoon- STUPID

[Horse with no Name]

21. In W or RO? n/t

[w8liftinglady]

22. ro. they will start mornings friday

[RebelOne]

9. I am in Georgia just north of Atlanta

and the heat has been unbearable. My outdoor thermometer hit 100 degrees today. The dogs were wondering why I was not taking them for a walk. I had to wait until the sun went down and even then it was hot as hell. The weather man kept saying it was only 97, but my thermometer read differently. My living room air is on at 60 degrees and I am still sweating.

[Elwood P Dowd]

11. Football practice during August in the south is hell.

Back when I played (early 1960s), the coaches wouldn't even let you drink any water during a 3-hour practice. It wasn't until my senior year that they gave us something to drink at halftime during a game.

One problem today is that everyone has air conditioning. Back then, most of us didn't have it at home and were more acclimated to the heat. We also spent more time outside playing sports, riding bikes, swimming, etc. because we didn't have video games, computers, or really much to watch on television.

[Horse with no Name]

12. All very valid points Elwood

but I actually think it is HOTTER now then it used to be.

Maybe it is just my age, I don't know, but just walking outside takes my breath away.

[Elwood P Dowd]

16. No question it is hotter.

It got me this afternoon working in the yard. Lasted only about 30 minutes before I started feeling weak and tired. We missed much of the July heatwave effects, but August so far has been brutal.

[JanMichael]

19. I agree. I lived in Florida for years and while I hated the heat it was bearable.

Now I live in NC, and yes it gets hot, but there are also real seasons with snow and the humidity is much lower over the year.

So now when it gets real (like recently) hot I feel like I'll wilt when 8 years ago I would have dealt with it much much better. We acclimate to our environments.

[mike dub]

17. 24 hours a day A/C has "spoiled" us

Elwood Dowd nailed it. Here in North Carolina we've had the usual summer weather- hot and muggy. I don't know what complainers here (and there are plenty of 'em) expect: the season is called Summer, and the region is the Southern United States.
Buildings around here are A/C'ed seemingly down to 68 degrees. Not sure what folks expect it to feel like outside, walking from an overly-pampered refridgerator temperature in the high 60's, to the high 90's (Heat index 115 / 120). By contrast it's going to feel hot. Folks should spend a lil more time outside after work and on the weekends instead of ploppin' down in front of the tube. Temps might not feel so bad if they were outside a little more often. Drink fluids and take 'shade breaks' and you can do just fine. And I grew up the same as Elwood --although not running 'round with football practice-- it was always Outside-riding-the-bike-etc in the (Southern) summer sun/weather as a kid. Unlike our neighbors, we didn't get an Atari for Christmas!

[riderinthestorm]

23. I work outside all day, every day. You don't do "just fine" working outside in this heat.

I'm sorry but that's just not true. Your body takes a beating in this heat. I do physical manual labor 10 - 14 hours/day (farmer), and I will say from personal experience, with employees and my own family, that the temps really do feel "that bad", even after 25 years outside.

It gets even harder as you get older. There's a reason older folks should not be out in the heat.

This heat wave and dying kids has nothing to do with pampered, spoiled kids imho. Our climate is changing and the damaging extreme weather patterns means we must change our outdoor routines.

Welcome to DU by the way.

[rurallib]

13. every year it seems like one or two dozen die

Some of the coaches look at practices as a macho thing.

[mike dub]

18. Sorry y'all

I should have acknowledged the tragedy of this young man's death in my earlier post. I sort of went off about Air Conditioning, and my agreement with another poster. Didn't mean to be insensitive about the news story posted by the OP.

But off the practice field, and outside of this tragedy, I still say alot of folks are spoiled by A/C.

[michaz]

14. In heat like this one has to consider kids with undetected medical problems that could

intensify the condition. It is so sad.