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:-[ ?What are some of the techniques out there to beat the heat? ?Expecially with tournaments approaching.
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Plenty of water in coolers. Canopy tents for dugout area when needed. Finally my favorite, wash rags kept in cold water in coolers.
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I thought you were talking about my team... LOL ;D
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Against your team i will take all the help I can get 
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we take a big ice chest fill in with ice and water. girls dunk their heads totally. Number 1 they love it, number 2, I have never had a heat problem with these girls since
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Cold hand towels in the ice chests
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As mentioned above, canopies over the dug out is a huge help. We tell the girls to stay in the shade during wait times between games, but this just seems like wishful thinking most of the time.
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Same as above with the ice cold hand towels. We also put one down the back of the catchers jersey while she is in the field. The one inning we didn't, she got over heated.
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We did the cooler with gallons of water, wet rags in baggies in the cooler, soaking their heads frequently and the girls loved it and spirits stayed HIGH!
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I have not tried this yet, but I have heard adding a cap full of a ?rubbing? alcohol to the ice chest that hold the rags, helps keep you cool.
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MY question on the rubbing alcohol is what if it gets in eyes.? I dont know if that small amount would have an effect or not. Again just asking the question not in anyway criticizing the idea
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Add amonia spirits to your ice water with the towels. Seen this done while we were in Texas at nationals. It will lower the ice water temp by at least 10 degrees.
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The spirit of amonium is great stuff. We used it at Nationals last year in Charlotte. Really cooled the girls down quickly even though the temperature at game time was in the low 100's. You have to look around for this stuff and if you find it get a couple of bottles. My suggestion is the local drugstores.
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Sorry but you put the spirit of ammonium in a large cooler of ice water with towels.
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lightningcoach,
I don't know what effect it has on the eyes, I heard about this method last year, and again this weekend, so did a few other parents on the team, so I think we will give it a try.
I don't know what effect it has on the eyes, I heard about this method last year, and again this weekend, so did a few other parents on the team, so I think we will give it a try.
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At wal-mart: Cotton headbands that keep you cool on the trail, road, and rock. Simply energize by soaking in cool water. The bandana contains a patented nontoxic polymer crystal which becomes a personal space-age hydro-cooling system that can be re-energized repeatedly. Hand washable in mild soap.
In the sporting goods isle on the end of a row look down not a big display $3.27 each
In the sporting goods isle on the end of a row look down not a big display $3.27 each
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Try Sea Breeze in your ice water with towels. A team from PA told me about that and it really works. Not too much..one bottle per medium cooler. Apparently it opens the pores.
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Beat the Heat? My take is that the only way to dent a JoeA team is to dress the Arizona softball team in your uniforms and hope he will agree to a three-game series! LOL
Seriously though, the internal issues are much more important than the external issues. On our 12U team, we talk about the water curve. You have to keep enough water your girls to keep them hydrated all day. That means you have to make them drink water when they are not thirsty. Tough - and you have to be pretty militant about making them drink.
Having lived through a week at Nationals where it was above 95 degrees, with a heat index in the mid-100s, we realized that keeping them cool outside was almost meaningless. Girls were drinking 12-16 oz. of water AN INNING and still not getting enough, esp. pitchers and catchers.
Measure and track your team's water consuption, and keeping them cool will become less important.
Seriously though, the internal issues are much more important than the external issues. On our 12U team, we talk about the water curve. You have to keep enough water your girls to keep them hydrated all day. That means you have to make them drink water when they are not thirsty. Tough - and you have to be pretty militant about making them drink.
Having lived through a week at Nationals where it was above 95 degrees, with a heat index in the mid-100s, we realized that keeping them cool outside was almost meaningless. Girls were drinking 12-16 oz. of water AN INNING and still not getting enough, esp. pitchers and catchers.
Measure and track your team's water consuption, and keeping them cool will become less important.
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Coach2 is correct that they must drink to maintain in hot weather. ?Pedalite (sp?) is what the tournaments in Florda recommend that the girls drink in hot weather. ?It has the eloctrolytes that the body needs without the sodium that some of the hydrating drinks contain. ?The girls may balk because it is found in the infant / toddlers section of the stores. ?
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Hydration is the key--BEFORE the day starts as well as during the activity. There are a lot of great points listed on this thread. Here are some guidelines for beating heat-related illness from the American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Sports Medicine:
Hydration: Plenty of fluids before and during exercise. A 90-pound individual should have 4 to 6 ounces of fluids EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES (you can do the math for bigger girls). Water is fine, and sports drinks may actually stimulate more thirst. No fruit juices or sodas, no salt tablets.
Environment: SHADE (out of the direct sun as much as possible) as has been mentioned here several times.
Clothing: lightweight, breathable, with as much skin exposed as modestly possible to help with evaporation of sweat. A hat/visor can help too.
Acclimatization: practices for the first few weeks of hot, humid weather should start light and gradually increase in intensity. This can help players get used to playing in the heat.
Medical Conditions: know of any medical conditions of your players--keep close tabs on heavier players as they are more susceptible to heat illness. Players should avoid cold medications (can keep a person from getting rid of heat).
Whenever a player feels confused, dizzy, nauseated, sleepy, or otherwise ill while playing in hot weather--you have to consider heat illness. Get that kid drinking right away and in a cool them down (can use ice if necessary)--if they don't start getting better, send them to the emergency room right away.
As Johnnies mentioned, Pedialyte is a good re-hydrating solution (it also tastes like sweat, so that's another reason girls may not like it). Water is probably the best overall as it is readily available.
When playing in this heat, I always try to tell my daughters that when they urinate it should look like weak lemonade. If it looks like apple juice, they are not getting enough fluids and need to drink a lot more.
Now, if the rains stop maybe we can get out and play this weekend!
Hydration: Plenty of fluids before and during exercise. A 90-pound individual should have 4 to 6 ounces of fluids EVERY FIFTEEN MINUTES (you can do the math for bigger girls). Water is fine, and sports drinks may actually stimulate more thirst. No fruit juices or sodas, no salt tablets.
Environment: SHADE (out of the direct sun as much as possible) as has been mentioned here several times.
Clothing: lightweight, breathable, with as much skin exposed as modestly possible to help with evaporation of sweat. A hat/visor can help too.
Acclimatization: practices for the first few weeks of hot, humid weather should start light and gradually increase in intensity. This can help players get used to playing in the heat.
Medical Conditions: know of any medical conditions of your players--keep close tabs on heavier players as they are more susceptible to heat illness. Players should avoid cold medications (can keep a person from getting rid of heat).
Whenever a player feels confused, dizzy, nauseated, sleepy, or otherwise ill while playing in hot weather--you have to consider heat illness. Get that kid drinking right away and in a cool them down (can use ice if necessary)--if they don't start getting better, send them to the emergency room right away.
As Johnnies mentioned, Pedialyte is a good re-hydrating solution (it also tastes like sweat, so that's another reason girls may not like it). Water is probably the best overall as it is readily available.
When playing in this heat, I always try to tell my daughters that when they urinate it should look like weak lemonade. If it looks like apple juice, they are not getting enough fluids and need to drink a lot more.
Now, if the rains stop maybe we can get out and play this weekend!
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