It's football tradition to endure two-a-day practices each
summer to prep for the upcoming season, but with the sun beating
down and players wearing more than a dozen pounds of gear, these
practices have come under fire. CNN recently reported that 35
football players have died due to heat since 1995, and coaches
are increasingly under scrutiny. This week a Louisville,
Kentucky, high school coach is on trial on charges of reckless
homicide because of the heat-exhaustion-related death of a
15-year-old player. "It's a tragedy that these deaths continue
to happen when the science is there to help avoid them," says
Anna Hartman, manager of performance physical therapy services
at Athletes' Performance. "Athletic trainers are at the
forefront of research, prevention, and education of exertional
heat illness." Just yesterday the Today Show's Tiki Barber and
Dr. Nancy Snyderman discussed heat acclimatization issues,
including new guidelines from the National Athletic Trainers'
Association. While some believe that two