Kids still play sports during heat wave

Coaches and parents are taking extra precautions for their children playing sports during this dangerous heat wave.

The heat is not stopping the West Valley Youth League Mustang All Star team from practicing for the playoffs in Thousand Palms Thursday evening.

Watch: Child hurt on Wisconsin playground when slide ‘explodes’ “We are running around in the heat, we are batting we are playing catch and it’s really hot,” said 10-year-old Javi Rocha who loves playing baseball.

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Regular water breaks are necessary to say the least and coaches rotate players to keep them from getting too hot.

“Kids can’t pitch as long in the heat, so you have to rotate them out and have them be available to pitch, the one’s that can pitch, more than you do at the beginning of the season,” said Jeremy Drennan, the team’s coach.

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At the other end of the park, kids practice for football season and are also taking lots of water breaks. Even parents watching in the shade had trouble with the heat.

“I am trying to get used to being in the heat before the games start and prepare myself too,” said Adrianna Madrid, who was watching her 8-year-old practice.

Kids on the field are taking water breaks ever 15 minutes.

“They’re kids you know they are just full of energy and they just keep going and going and as long as we have water breaks, they do well,” Drennan said.

Coaches are very practical when it comes to temperatures. They’ll have the kids practice in the 100-teens but when the mercury climbs past 120 it’s time to call it a day.

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