So what do you do if you are a six-foot, one-inch, 200-pound linebacker rushing full speed at the quarterback? You break through the line with ease, as it's an all-out blitz on the first play of the scrimmage. The QB for the other team is a good friend. Do you hit him? 

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Rubber turf, state-of-the-art helmets and pads, and high-tech water machines on the field! What ever happened to grass, mud, leather helmets, and the good ole fashioned garden hose for water breaks?

 

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It's only the first half of the soccer game and your child is cramping up. They just downed both water bottles you sent with them, and are trying to massage their locked muscles.

It's too late. The key to surviving the summer heat on the athletic fields is to hydrate properly and follow a few common sense tips.

1) Hydrate the night before the game, not at the last minute. Drink plenty of fluids sooner to let the body absorb them for when you need it. If you send the sports drinks with them to the game, make sure they have water as well. That short-lasting sugar spike from the sports drinks is followed by a lack of energy. Stick with water and you won't go wrong. It's cheaper too!

2) Have your kids eat fruit during their meal before the event. Fruit has nature sugars and is processed by your body slower, so you get energy longer from them. Bananas help keep the muscle cramps away.

3) Eat a good meal the night before with all the food groups. They'll feel healthier the next day.

4) Bring a cooler to the game or practice, filled with water to drink, as well as wet wash clothes on ice to wrap around their necks during breaks. We used them a couple weeks ago during a hot tournament in St. Louis. I've also considered putting their hat in the cooler during breaks.

5) Keep the players in the shade until they are ready to warm up. They're no point to overheating them early.

6) They are expensive, but the pump water misters are an interesting way to keep the players cool when off the field.

7) Encourage the players to take off their hats or helmets when not playing. Their head is the chimney of their body. Let the heat out.

8) Consider purchasing a pop of sports tent. It's great for parents to take refuge under during the games, and a place for the players to find shade before and after their events.

9) Fill your cooler with popsicles and frozen treats. If the kids don't eat them, you can!

10) Keep the kids in the A/C before their games. They'll need all the energy they can get out in the heat.

Good luck. Stay cool!

-Bob Hammerstrom

 

 

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When I think of poor sportsmanship, my thoughts are of fighting hockey players, soccer red cards, John McEnroe, and the picture I shot following a Rothsay, Minn., football playoff game 20 years ago. Do you remember the phrase, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but names will never hurt me?" Well, they do! 

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You probably have some collecting cobwebs in the basement. Or, maybe you use them now as book markers. Full of pinholes and scribbling from your youth days, just what are those old ticket stubs, programs and pennants worth on ebay? 

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I see them all the time at night games. Like tiny stars exploding in the night, the flashes of cameras go off from the grandstands like the strobe lights on a dance floor. Maybe you have tried to take pictures outside at night, only to find extremely dark or black photos on your monitor when you upload your pictures. The flash went off, so what happened?

 

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Was it the hype of the loud crowd or the bright stadium lights? Maybe it was the mascots or the obnoxious fans that made an impact. Or, could it be the foot-long hot dogs and Cracker Jacks, or vendors shouting "Peanuts" that rings a bell? What do you remember about the first professional sports game you went to as a youngster?

 

 

 

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