TOLEDO, Ohio — The hot weather has caused a lot of us to choose more AC-friendly activities. But if you're someone with a kid in any outdoor sport, that's not an option.
On Tuesday, St. Francis De Sales Athletic Director Justin Edgell decided to push back the varsity and JV soccer matches against Anthony Wayne High School. He noted the seventh and eighth grade, along with the freshman football team, practiced later as well.
Any team doing anything outdoors had activity tempered for safety.
"I'd rather err on the side of caution than come out here and have these students test their limits. So, you know, we made that decision. I contacted John Snyder at Anthony Wayne and together we had a brief conversation and it was very easy to say let's delay 30 minutes," Edgell explained.
While the aim was to get students in cooler temperatures, players like Anthony Wayne senior soccer player Patrick Arnold weren't upset about the delay, but argued that the heat wasn't going anywhere.
"I'm pretty happy but I don't really see the point. It's still going to be hot. I guess it'll be darker so it'll be nice," Arnold said.
But Edgell pointed out that it will make a difference.
"With our Wet Bulb Test, we were rating 92.1, which is either cancel or delay any outdoor activity. We're now still at a high risk level, but we're below 88 degrees on the Wet Bulb Test. So, that allows us to do two full hours of practice, limited equipment," Edgell said. "Out here with the soccer games tonight we're taking breaks at each half, so the 18-minute mark for JV and 20-minute mark for the varsity."
The Wet Bulb Test, used by the National Weather Service, measures the heat stress in direct sunlight taking into account: temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover, ultimately gaging how hot is too hot.
Edgell, along with Mercy Health athletic trainer Alyssa Lassey agreed the push-back of 30 minutes gave enough of a drop in temperatures to be safe for play and practice. Neither support playing through the heat.
"Over the summer there have been multiple heat illness deaths that I know around the country," Lassey said. "[Those schools] don't have the appropriate tubs, cooling devices, to cool kids off."
Lassey argued that heat stroke and heat illness are medical emergencies that you shouldn't rush an athlete to the hospital before cooling them down as much as possible first, because it can be deadly. That also applies to parents in the stands.
"Cooling towels, I see some umbrellas. They need to get up and move around as well," Lassey added.
Parents took shelter where they could during practice and the games. Many wore sunhats or ballcaps, carried umbrellas, or stood beside the stands. Football mom Jennifer Mercurio watched her seventh grader, Jonas Mercurio, under a nearby tree.
"I figured if he can be out here, than I can be out here," Mercurio said.
While the seventh and eighth graders practiced without gear, Lassey said students could practice with gear on but should take extra breaks
Mercurio explained that Jonas knows to stay hydrated and pace himself. They've been coming to football games and practices for four years now. So, while it's hot, and sports don't seem appealing in the heat, practice is still important.
"You signed up to be on a team. This is something you want to get good at and that means being in the heat," Mercurio said.
Therefore, just because it's hot, sports don't stop. Administrator and parents agree, you just have to play it safe.