Heat related illnesses have become very prevalent among athletes of all ages over the past few years. The temperatures are rising and it’s taking its toll on athletes that perform strenuous activities outdoors. But what is being done to rectify the situation? Scientists are experimenting with several different options to help fight this epidemic that is striking athletes all across the country.

Twenty-six football players from Northwest Catholic High School in Connecticut participated in a study to figure out a way to combat heat illness. The study consisted of testing new and improved methods designed to produce data on how the players’ bodies were reacting to the scorching heat. Some of the methods included swallowing capsules that transmit body temperature through radio waves, wearing an arm patch that tested sodium and potassium in their sweat, and providing saliva samples to test the ratio of testosterone to cortisol in their bodies.

Not only did this study consist of these new scientific methods, but also methods that coaches have already been using for several years. These included regimens such as weighing in before and after practice to determine sweat loss, measuring fluid intake during practice, and testing urine samples to determine a player’s hydration level.

The head coach, Mike Tyler, welcomed the study. He said, “I just right off the bat thought it was a good idea because of the problems they have been having with heat stroke…at all levels of football” (As stated in USA Today on 9/5/06).

Douglas Casa, an associate professor at the university of Connecticut, headed the study that ended last week. Casa’s report will include data on how the players’ responses to the heat in the earlier days of practice to the responses in the later days of practice when they were more acclimated to the heat. The study will also include how the heat affected players of different ages as well. Casa plans to have the findings of his study by next summer.

The advancement in these studies is very important due to the increases in summer temperatures across the countries that are literally killing athletes of all ages who are being submerged into this scorching heat. There have been five athletes who died from heat related illnesses this summer alone, and over twenty-five in the last five years. Heat exhaustion has become a major concern with parents and coaches all over the country.

Due to this serious problem, football programs are starting to use technology to their advantage. Many are starting to experiment with a new type of shoulder pads that can actually lower the body temperature of players who are at risk of being overheated. These new pads are designed where tubes can connect to the pads and ventilate cool air throughout the pads and up to their necks and heads. This process has an immediate cooling effect on the athletes’ body temperature. The Midlothian Booster Club in conjunction with the manufacturer began testing a cooling system with two-a-days this fall.