Performance in the heat

The Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports published a new consensus piece on training and competing in the heat that discusses practices for athletes, coaches, organizing bodies and event organizers.

 

The article makes it a point to say that the ‘most important intervention one can adopt to reduce physiological strain and optimize performance is to heat acclimatize.’ This is achieved through exercise in similarly hot climates to competition for 1-2 weeks, with more time necessary for less fit individuals. Exercise should be done for a minimum of 60 min to get proper acclimatization. It is not necessary for shorter duration activities to spend as much time training since their events are finished sooner. But, for longer duration activities in the heat, acclimatization is a must.

 

Prior to pre-season, athletes can work on adapting to the temperature by exercising on their own. This gives them the ability to go at their own pace in the weather they will be forced to exercise in once pre-season begins. The onus is on the athletes to take control of their fitness and lay the foundation prior to the season beginning.

 

In order to maintain thermoregulation, the body needs to have adequate hydration. Prior to exercise, the recommendation is to drink 6mL of water per kg of body mass every 2-3 hours as well as 2-3 hours prior to activity. Heavy sweaters can also supplement their hydration with salt to replenish sodium lost in sweat.

 

Once exercise is undertaken in the heat, time should be spent trying to cool off to prevent overheating. Different options are available and can be either internal via ingestible solutions or external. Internal strategies include drinking cold beverages and slushes while external involve cooling vests, fans or cold water immersion. A strategy that employs a combination of cooling mechanisms may be the most effective. It is important to note that these are for maintaining exercise and performance, but once an athlete shows signs of heat stroke the treatment is immediate cold water immersion and activation of the emergency response plan.

 

One of the potential risk factors for heat illness appears to be a recent viral infection that results in nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Individuals that have experienced those symptoms may not have enough time to recover and rehydrate and thus be in greater danger of having a heat related illness. Warnings should be included in racing materials that warn athletes not to participate if that is the case. Event organizers can also adjust the start times of events to avoid the hottest part of the day and to allow for longer cooling and rehydrating between innings, matches or sets. These proactive efforts can give athletes the opportunity to recover out of the sun and heat and minimize chances for illness.

 

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sms.12467/full

 

Using biometrics

The use of biometrics is getting to be a more common way to ensure privacy and preserve identity and it is finding its way to College campuses.




In order to gain entry into a rec facility or campus gym students use a biometric device that identifies them, cross references them to an approved user of the facility and grants them access. The upside to this is that it is easy to use, the chances of sharing ID cards or pretending to be a student are eliminated and the safety of the facility increases. The downside is the cost, since it can be prohibitive, the reliability of the system and storing the information.




Since biometrics has been gaining traction as a way to preserve privacy with locking smart phones we can expect to see more and more use of this in the future. It may also expand to include access not just to the fitness centers, but classroom, sporting events and vehicles. Since there is no need to carry a card with you, this allows the institution the ability to track attendance, monitor use and even potentially identify those that are misusing the facilities.




If strength equipment gets to the point that they will automatically adjust to a biomarker, then whole workouts can be tracked and accessed just by scanning your hand. This will cut down on paper storage and thought involved with the workout, as the machine will automatically adjust to the user.


As time goes on it will be interesting to see where else biometric measurements will be used.




http://www.athleticbusiness.com/rec-center/biometrics-gaining-steam-in-college-rec.html?topic=1,400&eid=277204494&bid=1062662

NYS T/F meet

I spent the afternoon as an athletic trainer for the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Girls Track and Field Championship and I was impressed. 

It was a very well organized and run event. They run the boys finals in the AM and the girls in the PM. With all the events to coordinate they stayed right on time and never missed a beat. 

Everyone knew what their job was and made sure to perform it well. It helps that the event is held at the same venue every year and the organizers are familiar with the set up, but it is still quite a feat to run so many events on time. My congratulations to the NYSPHSAA on a job well done.  

On the sports medicine side of things I had quite a few hamstring strains that needed attention. While it is a very common injury in sprinters we get a lot of them every year. This year I treated them with single leg drops and soft tissue release. After spending 5 min with the athletes I was able to improve their range of motion and decrease their discomfort. Those that had new races were able to compete without incident. When dealing with hamstrings this may be helpful to your current routine. 

Sports event safety

When the fans at a basketball stormed the court a week ago causing a dangerous situation, the need to review security measures for games and events surfaced. The most important thing with event security is preparation. It is of vital importance to work through the venue, understand the entry and exits, know the number of fans attending, know the fan behavior and review possible problems and responses. This is obviously a daunting task, and when added on top of all the other duties for hosting an event, it can be easily overlooked or forgotten. Not taking the time to review safety protocols and protocols can have devastating consequences.

 

There are a number of factors to consider when thinking of event security and each one needs to be analyzed. Once the particular event venue is mapped and understood, administrators can then work on developing criteria for staffing, safety, response and evacuation. Just like every event venue is different, so is every problem. Weather related incidents have a different response than fan violence or crowd control. The important thing to keep in mind is to take the time to review situations and develop a response plan. Working with other event coordinators, coaches, police, security and medical personnel can help get a broader view of what the potential problems are, and what some of the potential solutions are.

 

Once the first 2 steps of understanding the venue and crafting a response protocol have been accomplished, the next step is to share that information with all the individuals that are involved in the event. Everyone who has a role to play needs to know what their role is and how to do it. Having a policy and procedure manual is an important reference and first step, but take it further and have individual responsibilities included, as well as setting up drills and simulations. The more simulations and walk throughs that are performed when there is not an emergency situation will improve the response and reaction for when there is one.

 

Athletic Business is a great resource for athletic administrators and they have created a new security magazine that specifically addresses common concerns and some ways of dealing with them. The NCS4 is also a great resource for event security management. These resources can be invaluable for creating a comprehensive plan to keep all the stakeholders of an event safe.

 

The following link to some specific safety concerns to start your safety preparedness.

 

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/event-security/ensuring-safe-sports-venues-starts-with-event-staff-screening-training.html

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/stadium-arena-security/court-storming-is-there-even-a-solution-br.html

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/recreation-outdoor-security/developing-better-evacuation-plans-through-simulation-modeling.html

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/stadium-arena-security/how-to-prevent-fan-violence-at-sporting-events.html

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/stadium-arena-security/drones-emerging-as-security-threat-at-domestic-sporting-events.html