BY DEBORAH BRENNAN | CalMatters Football practice has always been something of an extreme sport in the Coachella Valley, where temperatures can flare far above 100 degrees for weeks on end. But a change in California law authored by an Inland Empire lawmaker requires extra monitoring of young athletes on the hottest days and sets strict guidelines for how and when they can play in extreme heat . The rules will affect high school athletics throughout the state and expand safety practices that schools in the desert have observed for years, said Estevan Valencia, athletic director at Palm Desert High.
“We’ve been playing sports for over 100 years out here,” he said. “Our coaches and parents and kids have all grown up in this type of environment.” RELATED: At least 6 teenage football players died in August, raising questions about heat and safety Coaches shift practice schedules to early morning or after sunset, he said, or they call for frequent water breaks and monitor athletes for signs of heat stress, such as red faces or dizziness.
“We’ve been doing this for a long time; now it’s just mandated and monitored,” he said. The California Interscholastic Federation developed the rules to meet standards set in the law by Assemblymember Kate Sanchez , a Rancho Santa Margarita Republican whose district includes parts of western Riverside County. Though the law passed last year, the regulations took effect in July, in time for back-to-school sports and the recent hea.