And so it begins: Practice opens in extreme heat
Published 7:38 am Wednesday, August 4, 2010
- Gardendale senior left tackle Johnathan Cantrell gets relief from the heat from the water wagon, a device which serves up to eight players at a time with 40 gallons of chilled water. The Rockets hold their practice sessions in the morning, while the Blue Devils opt for the evening to avoid heat indices reaching 110 degrees.
The moment that thousands of teenage boys have waited for has arrived.
Football season is at hand.
Practice sessions officially began for all Alabama High School Athletic Association schools on Monday morning. Players and coaches were greeted with extreme heat and humidity, with temperatures topping the 100-degree mark in many places.
Coaching staffs took care to avoid the worst of the heat. Gardendale is holding both of its two-a-day practice sessions early in the day, finishing no later than 1 p.m. and usually by noon.
Mortimer Jordan is taking the opposite approach, starting its practices late in the afternoon and finishing after dark.
No matter the time of day, one thing is in abundant supply at all schools: ice cold water.
Rockets trainer Brad Myrick figured that the team goes through about 140 gallons in a day. Much of that comes from his new pride and joy: water wagons that hold 40 gallons, are continuously chilled and serve eight players at a time.
“They’ll usually get water in between five-minute periods, and more often if they need it,” Myrick said.
The Rockets will finish off the first week by hosting a clinic for players in kindergarten through 8th grade this Saturday morning at Driver Stadium.
The season begins with jamboree games on August 19 and 20, with most regular seasons opening on Friday, August 27. Corner opens its new stadium by playing Hayden on Thursday, August 26.
