During the past few weeks, the central United States has seen a record-breaking heat dome including an extreme influx in temperature here in Kansas reaching a heat index as high as 118 degrees by the end of August.
Despite fall sports season starting, many teams had to reschedule games and move practives inside or before school to keep cool.
Junior cross country runner Aaron Shirley has been affected by the heat.
“Usually the cross country season goes into the fall, so when it’s cooler, I feel like workouts are easier,” Shirley said. “But right now with the heat, workouts have been more tough and more draining.”
Due to the massive heat, teams have had to reschedule to accommodate this problem.
“A couple of weeks ago, we had to run in the mornings because it was too hot,” Shirley said. “So we had to get used to [that] and wake up earlier.”
Often these changes in schedule can create chaos in students’ lives, but Shirley says differently.
“It actually was more of a positive effect, because all of the activities that I have after school I got to be able to do,” Shirley said.
Freshman varsity tennis player Chloe Sell has improved due to the adjusted training schedule.
“We ran a lot so I probably got a little quicker from it,” Sell said.
Even though the tennis players adapted to the heat by training inside, they still got a good exercise when preparing for the season.
“We had indoor practice once though, but it was still tiring,” Sell said. “[We] had to run a bunch inside the school.”
Kansas has already passed the hottest weather of the season seen just a few weeks ago, but for anyone who plans to go out in the heat, here are some ways to stay cool:
- Drink lots of water
- Apply cold water or ice to major blood arteries including the neck, forehead, inner thighs, wrists, back and more.
- Take breaks in air conditioned areas
- Eat light meals (especially before a workout or training)
- Take cold showers
- Wear lightweight clothes that are sweat resistant
- Exercise during cooler times of day
