Summer Practices Bring Hot Weather Lessons

By John Gehring

Washington

Joe Wills jogs over to a water cooler during a break from football practice at Gonzaga College High School. With overcast skies and temperatures today in the 80s, the varsity football team at the all-boys Jesuit school near the U.S. Capitol has a rare reprieve from the scorching 90-degree heat and thick humidity that greeted players as summer practice began in August.

"I just make sure to drink a lot of water," the 17-year-old senior tackle says, his practice jersey already damp with sweat at 9 a.m. "It was real hot last week."

While most players rarely worry about the heat as they compete for playing time and starting positions, national athletics groups say that monitoring players when temperatures and humidity reach potentially dangerous levels...