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Extreme heat forces Tulsa Public Schools to restrict football practice time

Football practice begins today for Tulsa Public schools, but that doesn't mean the kids will be outside during the middle of the day. Gil cloud is the athletic director for TPS "we've got a moratorium on practice from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m." he told KRMG news. When the air temperature rises above 100 degrees as it has most of the last month, the heat on a turf field can go even higher. Many artifical turf fields have been measured at 125 to 135 degrees, clearly dangerous heat.

In an exclusive interview, Cloud told KRMG news it's just too dangerous and hot for kids to be outside "we're not allowing any of our teams high school or junior high team to practice during that time." Cloud says he and his staff will do everything they can to make sure everyone complies. "We'll be making the rounds to be sure that everything is running well and that the coaches have all the things they need to protect their student athletes. "

To hear the extended conversation with Gil, click here.

Cloud says the heat is just something the players aren’t ready for “I think the kids now spend more time inside so their body is not acclimated to that extreme heat and it doesn't take long for someone to melt down when it's 100°”

Gil confirmed for KRMG that when school begins practice will go back to its normal time, around 4:00 p.m. “hopefully by that point their bodies will be acclimated a little bit more to the heat that is on the practice field.”  Cloud says the bottom line in the whole thing is the health of the kids. “We’re going to make sure that we take care of them and have water breaks that are planned for our coaching staff.”

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