Our View
Published 3:36 pm Thursday, August 21, 2008
By Staff
Be aware of the extreme heat
The recent death of Huntingdon College football player, Sam Collins, has every coach in the state watching the temperature.
Collins, a 2008 graduate of Flomaton High School, died last Friday after suffering from a heat stroke caused by malignant hyperthermia while on the Hawks’ football field.
While such a tragic event, Collins’ family is not blaming the coaching staff at Huntingdon because water breaks are regularly given during the college’s practices.
The Advance would like to encourage each coach, band director and cheerleading sponsor in the area to reevaluate their water break schedule and make sure it is adequate and also take into consideration the often changing weather in our area.
Below are some tips from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to help prevent heat-related illnesses:
– Infants and young children
– People aged 65 or older
– People who have a mental illness
– Those who are physically ill, especially with heart disease or high blood pressure