JMCSS Prepares Student Athletes for Record Breaking Heat

JACKSON, Tn.-Cities in Tennessee will be facing record breaking temperatures this week! Even with extreme heat, student athletes will still need to practice and maintain fitness. Today 39 News spoke with one high school coach about how he is preparing his athletes for the upcoming heat wave.

“We started hydrating our kids on Wednesday. We’ve always done that. We hydrate and we have hydration stations set up in the school and they go out and get Gatorade and water periodically whenever they feel like they need it.” Woodrow Lowe Jr, NSH Head Football Coach.

The coach explains that they change up practice schedules to accommodate students during the warmer practice days.

“Additionally, we'll probably practice in the morning, sometimes this week, to try to beat the heat. We have to get them up here before school. But, you know, with the heat index, when it is 104, you can't do anything outside, you know, so we'll be in a gym on those days.”

The entire Jackson Madison County School System has the same protocol in regard to athlete safety. All coaches district wide take the same precautions to keep students safe.

“All the coaches in this in the Jackson area, received the caution emails that they send out from the district level. So, we understand what the precautions are. And, you know, we're not going to play, you just don't play with heat when it's like this because you don't want a kid to have a heat stroke or heat exhaustion.” says Lowe.

The heat index is predicted to rise to a temperature of 104 this week. Coaches and teachers are encouraging parents to keep their children hydrated as they try to beat the heat.