Roanoke County schools take precautions as heat impacts student-athletes

ROANOKE COUNTY, Va. (WDBJ) - High school athletes across Roanoke County are practicing and playing in some of the hottest conditions of the year, adding pressure on those responsible for keeping them safe.

Hidden Valley High School Athletic Director Scott Weaver said schools are working to balance safety with preparation for games.

“We’re doing everything right to make sure that everybody is as safe as possible, but also still preparing to play games,” Weaver said.

Weaver previously coached through hot summers at Hidden Valley High School. To protect his athletes, he scheduled practices around the sun.

“We would practice 6 to 8 in the morning and then 10 to noon to get out of there before or after 12 o’clock when the sun hit its highest and it was really hot,” Weaver said.

Local sports programs follow a heat protocol when conditions reach current levels. Schools use a device that measures heat and humidity together, which tells coaches how much gear players can wear and how often they need water breaks.

“They have to take shoulder pads off, or they have to take helmet and shoulder pads off, and they can only be out so many minutes... or they have to have a water break every 20 minutes, or every half hour,” Weaver said.

Officials also affected by heat

Greg Irby has been a referee for more than 40 years. He said officials feel the heat as well.

“If you play offense, you may come out for defense or vice versa. But we’re there for the whole game as officials. And so we don’t get a break,” Irby said.

Weaver said no games or practices have been postponed so far, but the possibility remains if temperatures continue to rise. He said practice times and kickoff times could be adjusted.