Most of the area teams will be settling in with some Mini-camps this week, plus conditioning drills and workouts in the weight rooms and then BOOM!, practice can officially start next Monday July 31….
The schedule for opening the season, from the NCHSAA…..
*****Season Fast Facts:*****
1st Practice | Jul 31, 2017
1st Scrimmage | Aug 9, 2017
1st Contest | Aug 18, 2017
Things to aware of entering that first week of practice and the main rule pretty much reads, NO football practices between 12 Noon and 6pm, in the heat of the day…..
from the NCHSAA:
*****2.3 HEALTH AND SAFETY*****
2.3.2 Acclimatization:
(a) Days 1–5 are the first formal practices. No more than 1 practice occurs per day.
(b) Total practice time should not exceed 3 hours in any 1 day.
(c) 1-hour maximum walk-through is permitted on days 1–5, however there must be a minimum 3 hour
break in a cool environment between practice and walk-through (or vice versa).
(d) During days 1–2 of first formal practices, a helmet should be the only protective equipment permitted
(if applicable). During days 3–5, only helmets and shoulder pads should be worn (if applicable).
Beginning on day 6, all protective equipment may be worn and full contact may begin.
(1) Football only: on days 3–5, contact with blocking sleds and tackling dummies may be
initiated.
(2) Full-contact sports: 100% live action drills should begin no earlier than day 6.
(e) Day 6–14, double-practice days must be followed by a single-practice day. On single-practice days,
1 walk-through is permitted, separated from the practice by at least 3 hours of continuous rest. When
a double-practice day is followed by a rest day, another double practice day is permitted after the rest
day.
(f) On a double-practice day, neither practice day should exceed 3 hours in duration, and no more than
5 total hours of practice in the day. During the 2 hour practice, there can be NO live action. Warm-up,
stretching, cool-down, walk-through, conditioning and weight-room activities are included as part of
the practice time. The 2 practices should be separated by at least 3 continuous hours in a cool
environment.
(g) Because the risk of exertional heat illnesses during the preseason heat-acclimatization period is high,
we strongly recommend that an athletic trainer be on site before, during and after all practices.
(Adapted from Korey Stringer Institute, 2015)
2.3.1 Fundamentals of Heat Illness Prevention and Management:
(a) A Certified Athletic Trainer or First Responder MUST be in attendance at all football practices and
games.
(b) The vast majority of serious heat illness occurs during the first week of practice/training. The key to
appropriate acclimatization should consist of gradually increasing the amount of time of
environmental exposure (heat and humidity) while progressively increasing physical exertion and
training activities is the key to appropriate acclimatization.
(1) Begin with shorter, less intense practices and training activities, with longer recovery
intervals between bouts of activity.
(2) Minimize protective gear during first several practices, and introduce additional uniform and
protective gear progressively over successive days. (e.g. in football, helmets only, no shoulder
pads).
(3) Emphasize instruction over conditioning during the first several practices.
(c) Keep each athlete’s individual level of conditioning and medical status in mind and adjust activity
accordingly. These factors directly affect exertional heat illness risk. For example, there is an increased
risk of heat injury if the athlete is obese, unfit, has been recently ill (particularly gastrointestinal
illness), has a previous history of exertional heat illness, has Sickle Cell Trait, or is using certain
medications. Players at risk should be identified from their pre-participation examination.
(d) High temperatures and high humidity are potentially dangerous for athletes. In these conditions,
lower the intensity of practices and increase the frequency and duration of rest breaks, and consider
reducing uniform and protective equipment. Also, be sure to monitor all players more closely as
conditions are increasingly warm/humid, especially if there is a change in weather from the previous
few days.
(e) Athletes should begin practices and training activities adequately hydrated.
(f) Recognize early signs of distress and developing exertional heat illness (weakness, nausea/vomiting,
paleness, headache, lightheadedness). Promptly remove from activity, and treat appropriately. First
aid should not be delayed.
NCHSAA and GCS athletics use some of the most ambiguous rhetoric to convey messages pertaining to football.