Heat forcing Big Central coaches to adjust practice schedules, focus on hydration

Just in time for the start of the school year – when available practice times are more restricted – here comes “Sweat-tember,” and its forcing high school football coaches statewide to adjust their plans to keep their student-athletes safe.

Yes, Central Jersey is in the midst of a September heatwave, with today being the third straight day of temperatures in the 90s, already hitting 93 degrees at 12 noon at the Rutgers Gardens weather station in New Brunswick, and it’s not even the hottest part of the day yet.

An “official” heat wave is considered at least three straight days of temperatures in the 90s. We hit 90 on Labor Day, and topped out at 93 on Tuesday.

We took an informal survey of Big Central coaches, and several reported changing practice plans as a result of the extreme heat and humidity, and NJSIAA rules related to the head..

Phillipsburg students went back to school early, back on Thursday, August 28th, before Labor Day. So practices this week would have normally begun at 3:15 pm, after school. But head coach Frank Duffy – whose top-ranked Stateliners are prepping to host third-ranked Ridge on Friday night (which can be heard live on Central Jersey Sports Radio) – has moved practices to 7 pm this week.

Sundown today is 7:22 pm, according to The Weather Channel.

First-year New Brunswick head coach Steve Gluchowski says logistical issues – he’s in “new teacher training” for the past week or so – forced them to stick with a 3:00 practice time, but they decided to halve practice time and go to helmets only, with frequent water breaks every 15 minutes. They also have water stations on the field as well.

Watchung Hills head coach Rich Seubert says it’s been difficult to change to nighttime sessions since they don’t have lights on the practice field. During the day, they’ve stayed inside and watched game film. Later, they get out onto the field with what daylight is left. “We always encourage the team to drink fluids all week long and proper nutrition,” Seubert added.

The NJSIAA has a “Heat Participation Policy” that restricts outdoor activities – practice or games – when the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature reaches a certain threshhold. Teams do this check themselves using a wet-bulb thermometer, and several coaches said they use this method, which measures ambient temperature, relative humidity, radiant heat from the sun, and wind speed. It’s meant to determine how a person can tolerate the heat under various conditions.

According to the regulations, WBGT readings must be taken no less than every hour, starting 30 minutes before a game or practice. Those readings must be recorded.

A reading under 80 degrees is acceptable, while between 80 and 85 urges coaches to “use discretion” and “watch at-risk players carefully.”

Anything from 85.1 to 88 degrees requires a two-hour practice limit for football, plus no helmets or shoulder pads for practice. From 88.1 to 90 degrees cuts practice to an hour and eliminates conditioning activities. Anything over 90 and outdoor workouts are banned.

Edison’s Matt Yascko says his trainer was monitoring levels Tuesday, and they got close to the “red” zone of 88.1 to 90, but then the WBGT level backed down. Yascko says the fact that they practice on grass and there was a bit of a breeze probably helped.

He says they made cold wet towels available for players yesterday, and had several tents set up so that players could cool off in the shade.

East Brunswick’s Andy Steinfeld moved practice to the 6:30-8:30 pm window, saying “We have many water breaks and we have water bottles stationed anywhere we are.” While the practice on the main turf field, he says they have the option to move to a cooler natural grass surface, if needed.

“It’s not the ordinary way we would like to practice, but the safety of our kids is the most important thing,” Steinfeld said.

Woodbridge head coach Joe LaSala went the opposite direction of Duffy, opting for before school practice, starting at 5:30 am. “The kids have been fantastic about adjusting on the fly,” he noted.

Cranford coach Erik Rosenmeier says his team has practiced in the morning or evening, as needed, as well. He was a bit tongue-in-cheek when asked about the heat, saying “It’s a good thing everyone voted to start the season earlier. it’s really working out for us.”

Colonia coach Tom Roarty says his team practiced at 6 am Wednesday, while Old Bridge’s Matt Donaghue says his team did the same Tuesday and Wednesday.

Elizabeth head coach John Fiore says his team was restricted to one-hour practices with no equipment the last two days, and they’ll be going at night tomorrow.

Temperatures are expected to moderate a bit, reaching 89 Friday with a threat of late-afternoon or evening thunderstorms that could cool it off significantly. Saturday’s high should be in the mid-80s.

Here’s the NJSIAA’s full Heat Participation Policy Guidelines: