H.S. football: Heat wave stuns Bloomfield's veteran head coach

But the sweltering heat and humidity that has blanketed the Metropolitan area last week and has carried over to this week, is something that Carter admits he hasn't seen this bad, especially as his team begins practice.

"It's been rough," said Carter of the temperatures hovering in the mid 90s, with a heat index of nearly 110 degrees. "No other way of putting it. As coaches, we know the importance of practice time, but common sense also has to prevail. With this kind of heat and humidity you have to cut back a little."

State rules mandate that when a high school football team begins its official practices in August, teams must comply with heat acclamation, meaning players need to get adjusted to practicing in helmets, then 'uppers', meaning shoulder pads, before they can begin the actual hitting, in full pads.

Bloomfield, which opens its regular season on Friday, Sept. 9, with a game at Columbia of Maplewood, is scheduled to play its first scrimmage on Aug. 23, at Summit High, after a co-op practice with Clifton on Aug. 19.

"We began the heat acclamation process last week," said Carter. "That means three days with kids practicing in shorts, tee shirts and helmets. Then we can go to helmets and uppers, then eventually, this week, full pads, with double sessions."

Practicing on the field turf helps. "I remember the days of the old artificial turf," said Carter with a laugh. "We didn't have it here, but I heard stories. That was like playing on green colored cement and the heat would rise off the turf in the summer. That was crazy.

"The turf we have now is pretty good, in that it doesn't draw a lot of added heat."

The bottom line is the players have to understand the importance of hydrating and eating properly.

"We say it to them all the time," said Carter. "Keeping yourself hydrated starts days before practicing, especially in this kind of heat. You hope the kids will avoid drinking soda and stick to water and Gatorade type products. Water is obviously the best. Sometimes, the kids don't understand that getting leg cramps on a hot day is the result of not having hydrated properly in the days leading to a hard practice. When I was down at Rutgers a few weeks back I saw their players walking around campus with the hydration packs."

Eating a good breakfast is also important. "You can't just eat something quickly and run to practice and expect to be at 100 percent," said Carter. "Eating well and keeping yourself hydrated is important."

Carter noted that so far, everything has gone well for his team in the early days of practice, despite the heat.

"So far, so good," said the coach. "With the weather this hot, we have to moderate our practices, a little. And of course, we tell the kids to drink water as much as they want in practice. I remember when I played, water wasn't emphasized, but it is now, and it's always there for our kids."

Educated coaches and a good training staff will help the Bengals get their much-needed practices in, as well as keeping the players properly hydrated and safe.

Email: Mike051893@aol.com