Local area high school football teams modify practices during recent heat wave

Many local high school football teams canceled outdoor practices Wednesday because of the record-setting heat wave that has scorched the Central Coast over the last several days. The decision was made by the Santa Maria Joint Union High School District after temperatures in Santa Maria reached 103 degrees breaking a record high set in 1984. “I don’t think I’ve experienced a 100-degree day since I moved down here,” Righetti football coach Rus Pickett said. The cancellations were not a CIF decision, but District Public Information Officer Kenny Klein said the school district did inform the CIF of its decision. “When the heat index is extreme, we take extra precautions because we want our kids to be safe,” Klein said in a statement. The CIF state offices published a policy for heat illness prevention and heat acclimation in 2024 that requires schools use the WetBulb Globe Temperature for the most accurate measurement. The WBGT is a measure of heat stress in direct sunlight, which takes into account temperature, humidity, wind speed, sun angle and cloud cover. According to the policy, the WBGT differs from the Heat Index, which takes into consideration temperature and humidity that is also calculated for shady areas and is especially valuable in environments where people are physically active. There are three region categories based on the CIF sections and their proximity to the coast. The CIF Central Section that encompasses Santa Maria and southern Santa Barbara County schools falls into Category 3 — if the WBGT reaches above 92.1 degrees, practice and games will be cancelled or delayed. CIF set examples where a Category 3 school can have an outside air temperature of 92 degrees but the WBGT Reading is 81. Pickett said yesterday was a bit chaotic just communicating with everybody about the schedule change. Instead they remained inside with air conditioning where they could watch film and rehab any nagging injuries. “It was a change, but I don’t think it put us behind at all this week,” Pickett said. “Thursday practices are usually a bit lighter so we can transition back onto the field and work on some things.” Lompoc football coach Andrew Jones knew Wednesday was going to be a scorcher, so got ahead of the heat by moving practice to 6 a.m. "We get up early anyways because we have weights at 6:30 a.m. so our kids were used to it,” Jones said. “Every single player was there and I really thought that it was one of our better practices.” Jones did not want to cancel the on-field practice because he said he believes practice is the most important element for a football program. [Read Full Story on Santa Maria Times →](https://santamariatimes.com/sports/local/high-school/local-area-high-school-football-teams-modify-practices-during-recent-heat-wave/article_8c29ab0a-ce0e-4e4d-b0ae-d3fc9187cc44.html)