CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — University Interscholastic League (UIL) football programs across the Coastal Bend have gotten an earlier start to their practice times to make sure players stay safe from the South Texas heat.
This, as the league put out new recommendations for 2024-2025 heat protocols and procedures.
What changed is that the UIL has adopted what's called the 'Wet Bulb Globe Temperature' as the recommended forecast measurement. The higher the temp, the more crucial it is for water breaks and even how long athletes can be outside.
Even before the break of day football fields across the Coastal Bend are wide awake.
"The kids have been champing at the bit all summer long," said Rockport-Fulton football coach Eric Soza.
He knows once the sun rises over the gridiron, the brutal South Texas heat can run a blitz on his team.
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"We've gone to early morning practices," he said. "We have first period athletics with our upper classman, we'll start early in the morning before the heat can even come up."
As athletic programs kick-start their seasons, this week temperatures have been in the 90s with a heat index value close to 110.
The UIL put out an outline of recommended ways to keep athletes safe, a policy many coaches are already adopting even before it becomes required.
"With the new regulations going in, a lot of schools are not going to be able to practice in the heat part of the day. Keeping them safe is always our number one priority, and sometimes, its not the old way to do it anymore," Soza said.
Over at Tuloso-Midway, football coach James Villarreal said they implemented morning practices last year. He helped explain the UIL's new heat measurement and how that affects practices.
"Kids are here by 6:15 [a.m.] we're on the field we start up at 6:30," he said. "We use an app...it shows you when you are in the clear, when you are not in the clear on the levels of the Wet Bulb, every level gives you a description. If you are in the 87-90, max practice time is two hours. It's very descriptive of how long you can practice, what you can practice with."
Villarreal said aside from numerous water breaks it's important for the students speak up if they are feeling overheated.
"There's never a time where a kid can't get water, we build breaks into our practice," he said.
Ingleside ISD coach Travis Chrisman agrees player safety is their biggest priority.
"It's pretty disrespecting how hot it was outside, just to take precautions, we force hydration on our football players, if it's over in that black zone according to the Wet Bulb, we have a place to start them in our indoor facility," he said.
The UIL also recommends teams have an emergency action plan.
"We need to have cooling zones available, if we are in the black zone we're not practicing, got to have cool tubs on the ready, tents readily available too outside, our trainers do an awesome job at making sure we have ice cold drinks," Chrisman said.
The recommendations are something that not only impacts football players but any UIL sport that takes place outdoors.