TicketsAug. 9, 2007
- PHOTO GALLERY
CINCINNATI-- The weather forecasters did not lie when they called for temperatures in the upper-90s, but the University of Cincinnati football team worked in full pads for approximately two hours at Nippert Stadium. The Bearcats combatted the scorching heat with plenty of breaks and diligence in preventative medicine.
"It's important for our team to weigh-in and weigh-out each day," stated head coach Brian Kelly. "If we have a kid that is dehydrating, he is losing too much weight between sessions. What we are concerned about most is that in-between time when we are watching our kids. It's another part of our preventative medicine."
Cincinnati spent two hours on the field and ran a disciplined workout in full equipment. Three scheduled breaks were conducted to remind individuals to drink fluids during practice.
"The kids weigh-in before heading to the field and give us a base weight," said football athletic trainer Bob Mangine. "Coming off the field, they weigh-out and we compare those two weights. We are looking for percentage of dropped weights within 3 percent of each individual's total body weight. Anything from 3 to 6 percent, we are looking for signs of heat exhaustion."
Mangine continued, "Guys are losing water, so you have to pick that water back up by rehydrating. With tomorrow's two-a-days, we will be looking for players to catch back up to their base weight before they go back to the field for the second practice. We give them 32 ounces of Gatorade as they walk out the locker room door and have them drink anywhere from a gallon to two gallons of water between practices."
Friday begins the second week of preseason drills for the Bearcats and along with it comes a return to two-a-days. Practices are scheduled for 9:05 a.m. and 7:05 p.m.