Heat deaths put pressure on football tradition - CNN.com

Description

A high school football player cools off at practice by dunking his head in a bucket of ice water.

Before Friday night lights, there is summer suffering.

For generations, the rite of twice-daily summer football practice endured. In August, players would report as early as 7 a.m., work hard for a few hours, eat to get ready for more football, and then drill again in the afternoon. The athletes, often wearing 15 pounds of gear, would run plays, crushing and tackling each other under the scorching heat.

But in recent years, the ritual of two-a-days has come under scrutiny as heatstroke deaths have increased. On Monday, a high school coach from Louisville, Kentucky, will go to trial on charges of reckless homicide and wanton endangerment in the heat-exhaustion-related death of one of his players.

As medical understanding of the risks of heat exertion has advanced, more teams have instituted water breaks. And new technology allows for better tracking of young athletes' body temperature.

That's a far cry from the philosophy that held for decades.

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http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/21/heat.football.practice/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/08/21/heat.football.practice/index.html?iref=mpstoryview