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College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

Heat Protocol for Intercollegiate Athletic Competition

In an effort to protect College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) student-athletes while participating in intercollegiate athletic competition in extreme or severe heat conditions, the CCIW has developed guidelines for the implementation of mandatory hydration/cooling breaks in the sports of football and men’s and women’s soccer, effective August 15, 2007.  These guidelines were adopted by the CCIW CEOs in April 2007 and they will be reviewed on a regular basis to ensure that they are protecting student-athletes in an appropriate manner.  They are designed to permit meaningful competition in severe weather conditions while maintaining the health and safety of competing student-athletes.

Oversight and implementation of these breaks rests with the host school Certified Athletic Trainer (ATC), who will be responsible for notifying the visiting school and game officials when and how the hydration/cooling breaks will occur.  These guidelines were based on recommendations from the National Athletic Trainers Association, National Collegiate Athletic Association and the American College of Sports Medicine and are intended to prevent heat illness for student-athletes competing in intercollegiate competition.

Practice Activities

The CCIW guidelines were developed for intercollegiate competition only.  The conduct and administration of heat awareness guidelines for practice shall be governed by the respective school’s heat guidelines.  CCIW schools are encouraged to clearly spell out and articulate those guidelines and ensure that the appropriate individuals are made aware of them and how they should be applied.   Per the NCAA’s Injury Surveillance Data, student-athletes face a much greater risk of suffering heat illness during participation in practice versus game competition.   This data (gathered by all three NCAA divisions from 1988 to 2003) shows that student-athletes have a 3.9% chance of suffering heat illness during football practice, 1.7% during men’s soccer practice and 1.6% during women’s soccer practice.  Comparatively, the chances of suffering heat illness in game competition are less than 1% in football, men’s soccer and women’s soccer.  This underscores the importance of institutional guidelines regarding the prevention of heat illness during practice activities, which are not regulated by the new CCIW policy.  

Intercollegiate Competition

Intercollegiate competition occurring during extreme heat conditions shall include mandatory hydration/cooling breaks at specified times in the sports of football and men’s and women’s soccer.  The determination of whether conditions include extreme or severe heat shall be made by the host school ATC, based on the heat index, which includes a combination of air temperature and relative humidity occurring at the time of competition.  Below is a chart that illustrates how the heat index is calculated (taken from the NOAA information).

 

AIR TEMPERATURE (degrees Fahrenheit)
			70		75		80		85		90		95		100		105		110		115
APPARENT TEMPERATURE/HEAT INDEX
R	0%	64		69		73		78		83		87		91		95		100		103
E L	10%	65		70		75		80		85		90		95		100		105		111
A T	20%	66		72		77		82		87		93		99		105		112		120
I V	30%	67		73		78		84		90		96		104		113		123		135
E	40%	68		74		79		86		93		101		110		123		137		151
	50%	69		75		81		88		96		107		120		135		150
H U	60%	70		76		82		90		100		114		132		149
M I	70%	70		77		85		93		106		124		144
D I	80%	71		78		86		97		113		136
T Y	90%	71		79		88		102		122
	100%	72		80		91		108

If the Heat Index is:	Risk Category:	Description:
130°F or higher	“Extreme danger”	Heat stroke or sunstroke is likely.
105 - 129°F	“Danger”	Sunstroke, muscle cramps, and/or heat exhaustion likely. Heatstroke is possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity.
90 - 105°F	“Extreme caution”	Sunstroke, muscle cramps, and/or heat exhaustion possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity.
80 - 90°F	“Caution”	Fatigue possible with prolonged exposure and/or physical activity.

Mandatory Hydration/Cooling Breaks

Intercollegiate athletic competitions occurring in the “Danger” or “Extreme Danger” categories, as shown above, shall include mandatory hydration/cooling breaks per the following guidelines, in order to prevent heat illness in participating student-athletes.  Schools should be advised to closely monitor competitions taking place in the “extreme caution” or “caution” risk categories.

The hydration/cooling breaks for CCIW competition shall be administered as follows:

Football

• A five (5) minute, on the field, hydration/cooling break will be mandated at the 7:30 mark of each quarter.
• Helmets shall be removed during the break but the removal of shoulder pads is optional.
• Certified athletic trainers may make the decision to require players to remove their shoulder pads if he/she feels an individual or individuals is/are in some distress.

Men’s and Women’s soccer

• A five (5) minute, on the field, hydration/cooling break will be mandated at the 25:00 minute mark of each half.

Questions and Answers

Following is a set of questions and answers to help clarify the CCIW heat protocol policy for your information.

Q: Will these breaks be mandated for competition against non-conference opponents
A: Yes, provided the visiting school agrees to use them for the safety of their athletes.  Non-CCIW opponents may not be required to implement the CCIW heat protocol.  It is advised that CCIW schools notify opposing teams of the conference policy in advance of the contest.  Game officials shall also be notified in advance to ensure proper administration of the heat protocol.

Q: Will other fall sports, such as cross country and women’s tennis, have hydration/cooling breaks as well?
A: No, these sports have natural or regular breaks that will allow for proper cool down and hydration. For cross country, the host school shall be aware of the heat index at the time of the race to ensure that competing runners are not put at risk. It may be possible that a race could be delayed or postponed depending on the weather conditions.

Q: Who will be responsible for enforcing the hydration/cooling breaks?
A: The host school certified athletic trainer will be responsible for ensuring proper administration of the hydration/cooling breaks, in consultation with the game officials.

Q: Does the NCAA injury surveillance data support these guidelines?
A: While the NCAA data shows that heat illness occurs more regularly in practice activities, heat illness also occurs in regular game competition. The NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook has a specific section relating to the prevention of heat illness (Guideline no. 2-C), which was first published in 1975.

Q: Are these mandatory breaks legal within the applicable NCAA sport playing rules?
A: We have checked with the NCAA rules individuals for clarification regarding our mandatory hydration/cooling breaks. The NCAA supports these breaks and treats them similarly to breaks in competition for weather related issues, such as rain, hail and lightning. As such, they are permissible under NCAA playing rules. The primary reason for these breaks is the health and welfare of our student-athletes. Competitive equity is not a factor in mandating these breaks.