Central Texas High Schools work to keep student athletes safe amid brutal heat

MCGREGOR, Texas (KWTX) - As football season is less than two weeks from kicking off athletes are out practicing in the heat nearly every day, but Wednesday in McGregor high schoolers were practicing on a new field.

“Pack the turf down made repairs as needed, and then built it up finishing off with the eco-therm system that they put in,” McGregor ISD Head Football Coach Quentin White said.

With a new infill substance that cools down the surface, players are able to be on the field longer without overheating.

“On some of those hotter days what we’ve actually found is this turf and ambient air temperature just above the turf will be almost a full degree to two degrees different than it is on the grass which really shocked me,” said White said.

Midway ISD is unique as they have an indoor facility with fans for cooling, but still push to always make sue their athletes are hydrated.

“We got water cows also around the practice facility and stuff like that so water’s always available,” Midway ISD Head Athletic Trainer Chad Mccune said.

Whether they’re outside or inside, the student’s well-being is always top priority and healthy players are the key to their success on and off the field.

“Any kind of dizziness or even an upset stomach anything like that, just let us know we can easily take care of it get them cooled quickly and everything and get them feeling better,” Mccune said. “You really have to keep the ones you have healthy so that they can continue to get better and perform and become better as a team.”

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