Football Players, Marching Band Members Practice Thru 90-Degree Heat
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Just when we almost forgot what summer is supposed to feel like, Tuesday brought a blast of 90-degree weather, and a "feels like" temperature of 100.
Hot Weather Will Make Twin Cities Pools Busy This Week
Varsity football practice at Minnetonka High School on Tuesday was hard enough.
"It's a lot of water but mainly sweat, not going to lie," senior Josh Dalki said.
But the humidity didn't make it any easier.
"It's the hottest day we've had so far," coach Dave Nelson said.
The Skippers sweated through three hours of practice under the sun, with water stations and emergency vehicles on standby.
"We have it a little bit easier on offense in our white jerseys," senior Paul Herbes said. "The defensive players grumble about it a little bit."
The coaches wrapped up two-a-day practices last week before the heat wave rolled in.
With 90s in the forecast for the rest of the week, they're taking precautions.
"We'll take mandatory breaks so we know that they're all hydrating," Nelson said. "We may cut practice short. We've worn shorts and sometimes don't wear pads. We're conscious of the weather."
While the coaches look after player safety, the athletes know it's after practice where they need to be careful.
"That's the biggest thing is staying hydrated before and after practice," senior Josh Dalki said.
Marching Band Marches On In August Heat
For those who provide the soundtrack to Friday night lights, the heat and humidity is just as trying.
"Well my fingers get kind of sweaty so it kind of slips sometimes," Eden Prairie High School senior Olivia Urbanski said. "Putting on sunscreen, reapplying sunscreen because we sweat it off."
Marching band members practice in August just like their football counterparts.
"This is our field -- a blacktop parking lot, as opposed to grass and we're out here running a lot," Eden Prairie High School Band Director Scott Palmer said.
The students have been practicing from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
With temperatures expected to stay hot for the rest of the week, band directors do make sure students get out of the sun throughout practice and stay hydrated.
"We definitely have to hydrate a lot more," Erik Savereide said. "We get a lot of water breaks."
Those students are in their last practices before they perform at the State Fair on Thursday.
