Youth sports
can be one of the most wholesome activities that you’re likely to find, bringing together some healthy competition and good old-fashioned parental excitement to complete the atmosphere. But even though everything can feel almost sublime on the perfect sunny day, bubbling underneath the surface lurks the very real dangers of dehydration,
hyponatremia or even heat stroke if the proper precautions aren’t taken. More than just applying sunscreen and making sure young athletes stay hydrated, utilizing products like misting
tents, portable
misters, and even patio umbrellas can prove a relatively inexpensive way to give your athletes the refuge from the elements that they need when they’re off the field. Here’s a look at the situations in which you might want to consider utilizing cooling technologies to make sure that all of the drama stays on-field.
Travel teams:
As athletes move from standard town leagues to more competitive travel teams, the energy burned also tends to increase along with the competition, forcing coaches and parents to adjust to changing health requirements. For a coach who will be bringing athletes to games where heat
can be a problem, having options on hand to quickly cool off an athlete
can be a necessity, but you also don’t want to just rely on methods like wet towels and coolers of Gatorade. Instead, picking up a
portable misting fan can be the perfect traveling companion for a team, allowing athletes to rapidly cool off moments after coming off the field with a
variety of different low, mid, and high-pressure misting options. Considering the expense of equipment and travel, portable misting fans are relatively inexpensive and work very well in dugouts or just on the sideline, allowing your team to stay cool no matter where the game is.
Tournament organizers:
If you’re organizing a tournament that
will be played in hot conditions, taking steps to protect the athletes is a necessity, not a luxury. The good news is that you have lots of different options to provide cooling havens that can make an enormous difference for the health of the athletes, and for the overall success of the tournament. Instead of using more standard
tents,
misting tents will provide a burst of refreshing cool mist that can actually drop the temperature by as much as 20 degrees. For an athlete competing at the peak of summer heat, this can make an enormous difference, which is why misting
tents are particularly ideal for medic
tents for large tournaments or fun runs.
Misting
tents don’t have to just be for the athletes either, as having hundreds or even thousands of cheering parents sitting out in the sun could lead to health complications that might require some recovery time in the shade. With a variety of extremely affordable options, setting up a few misting
tents for a large tournament – particularly for high-aerobic sports like soccer and basketball –
can be an absolute game-changer during the heat of summer. Additionally, having a few portable
misters available to wheel out to the field for the hottest parts of the day demonstrates to parents that you’re putting the health of their children first.
Athletes at home:
If you have that nice big backyard that seems to attract neighborhood kids in the summer, that also comes with significant responsibility. Even if there’s not a ref or an official scoreboard for a backyard game of football, the game will be real enough for your kids – as will the potentially dangerous health situations. An easy remedy to a day of
fun in the sun is to have an affordable
patio umbrella installed, providing the perfect cool zone to allow your spirited young athletes time to recover. By calling halftime and offering some
hydrating beverages under your patio umbrella, you can have a great opportunity to reapply sunscreen and let body temperatures cool before the second half. You’ll also
have the opportunity to provide a refreshing, shaded area without bringing athletes covered in grass and dirt stains into your living room.
For more information about keeping your athletes cool this summer, contact our staff for details and options.
