Taking the heat to compete
Young people have been competing in blast-furnace heat in Hillsboro recently, playing softball and baseball on sizzling diamonds or sweating through basketball camp in sweltering gyms.
We trust that adults took every measure to assure their safety, making sure they had plenty of hydrating liquids, frequent rest breaks, and someone to monitor their level of exertion.
Studies have shown that athletes, especially younger ones, who suffer heat stroke or heat sickness, are apt to be more susceptible to hot weather for life.
Before making our point, we wanted to make sure to emphasize the importance of vigilance and common sense in this important area.
Many can recall draconian coaches who denied water during practice, swore by salt tablets, and knew nothing about a heat index.
They were, of course, ignorant.
But some were total idiots.
We also remember a coach who used heat to change our outlook on life.
As a young teen, I was weary of getting pounded by my coach during a one-on-one basketball game.
Tired of my whining, the exasperated coach shouted, "If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen!"
The saying might not work on young people growing up in the age of air conditioners and microwave ovens, but it had a powerful impact on us.
Other slogans such as, "If you can't run with the big dogs, stay on the porch!" also may draw blank stares today because of leash laws.
We think it's a very good thing that young people are learning to compete here in our community.
As you may know, there is concern among "experts" that young people should not engage in competition, especially competition in which one is singled out as being the winner or the best among his or her peers.
These same types would also endorse a sport called, "No runner left behind."
We wonder what might happen to our nation if our young people were not coached to be the first to cross the finish line or how to play hard according to the rules, to endure hardship and rebound from adversity.
All of us would lose.
That's why we encourage our young people to continue to train smart, drink lots of liquids, and, no matter how hot it might get, to stay in the kitchen of competition.
— GRANT OVERSTAKE, Editor
