Stepping on the scales is the normal pre-practice ritual for the Hokies, especially when it’s over 90 degrees outside. It’s all in an effort to make sure they’re the ones bringing the heat, instead of the heat bringing it to them.
Trainer Mike Goforth isn’t afraid to weigh in on athletes getting too hot.
“It’s extremely dangerous,” Goforth said. “Over the past couple years, I’d say there are about two or three deaths related to heat.“
In fact, during any given practice a 180 pound athlete will lose almost six pounds or up to eight water bottles full of body fluid.
“Obviously we push Gatorade pretty often,“ he said.
On top of sports drinks and water, Goforth also has other hydrating plans in place, which start during the preseason. The players go through exams and take EKG’s to make sure there are no underlying causes that could potentially pose problems.
“We put a lot of diligence into our plan. We tweak it every year to make sure it’s up to date and educate our athletes on it.“
During summer practice, the training staff sets up pools—not as a luxury, but as a necessity. Goforth says the team also goes through quite a bit of ice during practice.
“We’re going through probably around a thousand pounds of ice every day to keep them cool.“
Staying healthy in the heat is a big part of Virginia Tech football.
“We take it very serious here.“
There’s the hope that if the players can battle the hot August Sun, come September they will be able to roll the Tide.
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