EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio — At Shaw High School, as the afternoon sun beamed down on the football field in East Cleveland, 3News decided to see how hot the artificial turf really is.
At first glance at our thermometer, the surface is 136 degrees. Remember — the air is clocking in at 86 degrees.
What surprised the girls soccer team was that the asphalt was cooler than the field, clocking in at "only" 125 degrees.
"I knew extra heat came off the turf, but yeah, we really are working hard to stay hydrated," head coach Nim Bryant told us.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heat-related illnesses like heat exhaustion or heat stroke happen when the body is not able to properly cool itself, especially during times of extreme exertion. But working out here requires drinking liquids before you even hit the field. Tynya Jackson is a 3rd year soccer player
"I try to stay hydrated throughout the day," third-year player Tynya Jackson said, "because Mr. Bryant would shoot us a text, like, 'Make sure you all drink your water and (are) staying hydrated."
For the boys team, it's their first year at Shaw, and the heat is on.
"Even though it's really this hot, I love to play soccer," 16-year-old Ely Mulonda said.
For both teams, practice started after school, and normally ends at 5 p.m. However, slowing down the pace Monday was necessary.
"We try to get hydrated at least every 15, 20 minutes in the heat like this," Bryant explained.
And heat like this will be even worse Tuesday, with temperatures expected to get into the 90s with a "real feel" around 100. Today, Bryant ended practice early, not wanting to put his kids at risk.
"We know heat stroke and those type of things can happen," he said, "and we just want to keep our athletes safe."
That will be even more paramount Tuesday afternoon, with the Shaw girls scheduled to face Lutheran West on the road at 5 p.m. As of now, the match is still set to take place.
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