Locals take cautious approach in heat

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2001 | 11:13 a.m.

Coming just two weeks before the start of high school football practice in Southern Nevada, the death of NFL player Korey Stringer Wednesday served as yet another reminder of the constant threat of heat-related illnesses.

"There's definitely an awareness here, and there has been for a long time, but obviously something like this brings it to the forefront," Clark County athletic director Larry McKay said.

McKay said the county will continue its policy of having a certified athletic trainer supervising every high school football practice and game. Practices begin Aug. 16, with Aug. 19 the first day players can wear pads. Freshman and junior varsity squads kick off their seasons on Aug. 30, with varsity games starting the following night.

Jim Porter, regional outreach director for Health South -- which supplies athletic trainers for 10 high schools on the west side of town -- said his trainers will participate in an all-day in-service on Aug. 15, with heat illnesses one of the major topics on the agenda.

"The best way to deal with heat illness is to prevent it," Porter said. "Heat illness is a progressive disorder, and you can see the signs and symptoms going on. Managing heat illnesses is a 24-hour-a-day deal."

Kris Cinkovich, head coach at Las Vegas High, said he writes water breaks into his daily practice schedules.

"Obviously, where we live, if you don't take those precautions, you set yourself up for a disaster," Cinkovich said. "We have a parent meeting in a couple of weeks, and I expect them to ask about it after this tragedy."

At Desert Pines, head coach Gary Findley said his staff has a strict "water on demand" policy, and that they break every 10 minutes for a team water break.

"Anytime a player asks for water, we never refuse them," Findley said. "In the old days, water was part of some coaches' discipline package. They would say, 'You get water when you get it right.' Now, only a fool would use water as a kind of discipline tool."