High temperatures, humidity leave athletes melting in blinding light of competition

August 2023 was named the hottest such month in the Earth’s history, and with the commencement of fall sports, athletes have been trying to keep cool. Recently, outdoor sports have been suffering cancellations due to WIAA rules on heat advisory.

 To accommodate the intense heat, head cross country coach and special education teacher, Stephanie Polak, has had to adjust workouts.  

 “In 20 plus years, this has been the hottest start of a cross country season we have ever experienced,” she said. “The second week into practice, when we hit the upper nineties, we did have to modify our practice and have it in the morning, which I usually haven’t had to do in the past.”

Not only is practice affected by the heat, however, but also performance.

 “The heat definitely takes a toll and it does affect the body,” Polak said. “On meet day, our kids were affected by the heat and so was our ability to race as well as we had wanted to.”  

Freshman Mady Marino has also seen her capabilities on the tennis courts sapped by the weather conditions.  

“I have definitely noticed myself getting more tired more quickly.” she said. “Especially being on the courts outside all day. The heat just becomes so exhausting.”  

Sophomore Michael Smithson has felt similarly when playing on the soccer field. 

“High temperatures have become one of the main problems when it comes to playing outside,” he said. “The heat and high UV index makes it a lot easier to get out of breath and get sunburnt.”    

Heavy monitoring has been implemented for safety reasons.

“I know the first week of school we had those high temperatures.  I had to watch to see how the heat was affecting them,” Polak said. “We needed to make sure that we were all still sweating, that we felt well, but yeah, it’s been a rough start.”

Cancellations have also resulted from the risk of heat exhaustion.

“I know we didn’t have to cancel a meet, but other schools around the area had to cancel cross country meets.” said Polak. “We weren’t running that day, but they had to cancel because of the heat, and we usually never have to do that.”

Polak has also noticed the effects of the heat inside the classroom. 

“As an adult, the high heat affects me and I’m lucky that I can be in an air-conditioned room for most of the day, but a lot of my students aren’t,” she said. “And when they sit in these hot temperatures it is hard for them to focus.”  

Major safety precautions have been taken to handle the high temperatures. 

“We adjust workouts and we’ve not always had to do that, but this year in particular I’ve had to do that a lot because of the heat,” Polak said. “We want to make sure that our athletes are safe.” 

Safe practices have consisted of frequent breaks. 

“Because of the heat, I’ve felt pretty fatigued during practice,” freshman Megan Jorgensen said. “I’m always making sure I have water with me, so I won’t get dehydrated.” 

Some athletes haven’t been able to find a safe alternative to practicing their sports.

“Soccer practice was canceled because it was supposed to be over 90 degrees for a few days,” Smithson said. “Practice was canceled three days in a row. I had no other really safe way to practice soccer, so I was left just sitting home with nothing to do.” 

 However, the heat isn’t the only intense temperature facing fall-season athletes.

“I can also see snow in our future, so I have to make sure I adjust for that as well,” Polak said. “All sorts of things happen during cross country season, so we’ll just have to adjust and see what comes our way.” 

Since performance was significantly better in cooler weather, both athletes and coaches are hopeful that weather in following years will be more appropriate. 

“One week when the temperatures were great in South Milwaukee, everyone ran outstanding just because the conditions were more suitable for racing,” Polak said.

Coaches and athletes alike plan on adapting to the unpredictable weather.

 “I’m hopeful that next season the weather will be back to normal and we’ll be running in the seventies and eighties, not nineties and things like that. But, you know, you wonder about climate change, and I guess time will tell,” Polak said. “If it’s like this again next year, we’ll make sure to adjust it again, and, of course, we’ll do the best we can.”

by  Kassandra Bowlus-Jasinski

Published October 2 2023

Oshkosh West Index Volume 120 Issue I