Bradynn Belcher, Campus Carrier assistant sports editor

Temperatures at Berry College rose to 93 degrees with an average humidity at 54% between noon and 6 p.m. on Monday, according to The Weather Center. At these temperatures, it is difficult to walk from The Cage Center to McAllister Hall without breaking a sweat. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that this past July was likely the hottest month, on average, that Earth has endured. Despite the unprecedented heat, collegiate athletes all over the country are expected to train, workout and get into the best shape their bodies will allow to reach peak performance before their respective seasons begin.

With nationally ranked teams and athletes, Berry Athletics are held to a high standard. The Vikings football team began preseason training camp on Aug. 10 to prepare for their 2023 campaign.

For the Vikings, fall training camp consists of practice and walkthroughs seven days a week along with three groups lifting an average of two to three days per week. 

Head football coach Tony Kunczewski has not endured heat like this during his preseason training camp in the 11 years that he has been head coach for the Vikings.

“I’m going in my 11th year and from what I can remember, this is probably the hottest preseason camp we’ve had thus far, not necessarily in temperature as much as just, you know, heat and humidity,” Kunczewski said.

Coaches work with the athletic training staff to ensure that they are not putting their athletes at risk by practicing when it is unsafe to do so. Assistant Athletic Trainers Sarah Berry and Abby Daniels work directly with the football team to monitor and treat the physical health of the athletes. This season, Kunczewski and his staff along with Berry and Daniels have collaborated to change practice plans and schedules to protect the players from cramping and other heat related injuries.

“We had to make changes to practice times,” Kunczewski said. “We were scheduled to practice at nine in the morning, but we just bumped it up a little bit to 8:15 to avoid the heat at 11.”

This decision was based on the WetBulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) test conducted by Berry and Daniels. The WBGT considers the temperature, the humidity, the solar radiation and the wind to give the most accurate data on how hot it actually feels outside. The athletic trainers have a machine that measures the WBGT and guidelines established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) they must follow to ensure an athlete’s safety during high WBGT readings. 

When the WBGT reading is under 82.0, teams are cleared to practice as normal if they are provided with three different breaks each hour for at least three minutes per break. Between a reading of 82.0 and 86.9, trainers and coaches need to be more alert when watching for dehydration and fatigue related issues. Breaks are increased to four minutes a piece instead of three. If the reading is between 87.0 and 89.9, practices for all sports are restricted to two hours with a minimum of four, four-minute breaks per hour. Football players are not permitted to be in full pads. Players must wear shorts if the reading was between 87.0 and 89.9 at the beginning of practice.

At a WBGT reading between 90.0 and 92.0, maximum practice length for all sports is only one hour with 20 minutes of rest distributed throughout. Football players are restricted from wearing any protective gear and they cannot participate in conditioning activities. When the reading is above 92.0, all outdoor practice activities are strictly forbidden.

Last week, the WBGT reading indicated that Kunczewski’s practice plan needed alterations. Berry, Daniels and Kunczewski worked together to ensure that their athletes were getting the breaks they needed. 

“Last year we never even had to alter it due to the WetBulb,” Daniels said. “We had to make alterations, so I told Coach K and we stood there and reworked the practice plan to get those breaks in there.”

The athletic trainers and coaching staff also rely on thoroughly educating their players during preseason meetings about the dangers of dehydration and heat stroke as well as the resources they have available to them, such as ice baths, to ensure that the players remain communicative with their support staff during instances of extreme heat.

“We did a lot of education about that at the, like, preseason admin meeting that we had with the football team,” Daniels said. “We just kind of told them like, the dangers of if you start cramping and you know, one thing leads to another and if you like actually go into like really bad heat illness, we just kind of educated them about how that looks. So we told them the importance of telling us like, even if it’s just one little calf cramp, please let us know so that we can start taking care of you.”

Sophomore Football Player Nick Springer stressed the importance of having trust in their athletic trainers, especially during this heat.

“They’re the first line of defense if somebody gets injured or if they drop because of heat or other circumstances,” Springer said. “So, having that trust to put into them in a very vulnerable moment of, ‘I need help.’ That that’s very important.”

Berry’s other fall outdoor sports such as men’s and women’s cross country and soccer teams moved back to campus on Tuesday and will begin their first days of practice on Thursday. The women’s soccer program will participate in three practices a day. The morning, afternoon and evening session will total to about five and a half hours of practice. Head Coach Kathy Brown already anticipates shifting practice plans due to the unprecedented summer heat. 

“During those afternoon sessions, we may pull back to where we’re either watching film or educating new tactics and that sort of thing and not even physically being out on the field,” Brown said.

All Berry coaches are CPR certified and educated on the signs for heat stroke and exhaustion. Even with this training, Brown emphasizes the importance in coaches trusting their team’s athletic trainers to take care of their athletes.

“We have a lot of respect for out athletic training department,” Brown said. “I have confidence that they’re making good decisions in the best interests of my athlete.”

Daniels wants her athletes to know that her and her cohorts always have the athlete’s best interest at heart.

“We want them playing. We don’t want them on the sideline or, God forbid, in the hospital with the illness,” Daniels said. That’s why we’re over cautious with it. We’d rather you sit out for five minutes and drink some water than go to the hospital.”