ESCONDIDO, Calif. — Stadium lights beamed for the first game of the season for many districts throughout San Diego. The start of the new school year also brought new procedures to protect student-athletes from extreme heat.
School districts must follow the California Interscholastic Federation Guidelines to prevent heat-related illnesses among students.
“They are just looking out for us and everything and if it's too hot, it's too hot,” Orange Glen High School Varsity player Aaron Conley said.
Schools must use the Wet Bulb Globe Thermometer or WBGT which measures temperature, humidity, windspeed, sun angle and cloud cover.
Escondido High School Football Coach Derek Torres explains the safety of student athletes is always at the forefront.
“We've had to do more night practices when it gets a little cooler …if it's too hot then we'll do film maybe for a little bit and then we'll practice later on in the evening,” Torres said.
The CIF labels school districts under three categories which means the WBGT must not measure above 86.2 for category one, 89.9 for category two and 92 for category three. Practices and games can be delayed until it gets cooler.
“It's not changes, it's more that it's more enforced now,” Torres said.
According to the August 26 update, 12 school districts in San Diego County fall under category two including Escondido Union High, Fallbrook Union High and Bonsall Unified.
"We put our heart and soul into this game, were always playing this game every single day, put 110 percent every single day," Conley said.
To learn more about the new CIF guidelines visit cifss.org
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