The Kansas City area has been dealing with a heat wave that began Saturday, Aug. 19, and will be over by Saturday, Aug. 26, according to KMBC News First Alert Meteorologist Nick Bender.
The wave will end after seven consecutive days of highs of at least 94 and lows of no less than 70. In addition to this, the heat index has reached somewhere from 110 to over 120 each of these days.
This extreme heat has had many impacts on the community, including the rescheduling, moving or canceling of athletic activities inside and outside of schools. BVNW senior tennis captain Sydney Skelton said not being able to practice outside, especially just after tryouts, will cause the team to have to get back into the sport again.
“[Practicing indoors] gives everyone a lot of time off from playing tennis,” Skelton said. “We’re gonna have to get back into playing next week, which is gonna suck because we just got done with tryouts.”
Other sports have had other solutions for their practices this week. The boys soccer team practiced at All American Indoor Sports this week in Lenexa, KS, after school. Varsity assistant coach Michelle Pothoven said they were very fortunate to get an indoor facility for the week.
“[The indoor facility] has been a game changer for JV and varsity to actually still get a ton accomplished,” Pothoven said. “Honestly, as a whole, I don’t feel like it’s slowing us down that much.”
Pothoven said while it is not full-field soccer, the team has been able to work on fundamentals and game habits this week, which is what they would have probably been doing outside as well.
“Obviously it’s a pretty small field so we’re limited in what we can do, but we’re honestly starting with smaller training and more specifics so it works out well,” Pothoven said. “This is a good time of the year, if that’s possible, for us to be inside.”
Senior captain Clayton Ransom shared similar feelings about being indoors. While he said the team cannot work on full-field drills, he said other aspects of their game have benefited from the smaller drills.
“I think, in a way, it’s helped with working on playing small-sided, getting passes in, and [getting] more touches,” Ransom said. “Really, it’s a blessing and a curse.”
When asked about sports in general, Skelton said everyone will have to get back into the regular flow due to the break from their normal schedule.
“I think it’ll throw everyone’s balance off because usually we only have one, sometimes two days off [for the weekend],” Skelton said. “A full week will definitely set everyone back and slow progress down.”
The first meet for the girls tennis team is Wednesday, Aug. 30, where they will play Bishop Miege High School at home.
Pothoven said the soccer team has been challenged to play in a way that is easily transferable to outside, believing that the impact of the indoor practices will be minimal.
In order to minimize the effect, Ransom said the team has been preparing for the heat throughout the week.
“We’ve been staying hydrated all week,” Ransom said. “I don’t think [the heat is] going to play as big of a factor as it has these past couple of years.”
The boys soccer team was scheduled to have their first game of the season Friday, Aug. 25, at 7:00 p.m. However, due to extreme heat, the game was rescheduled to Saturday, Aug. 26 at 11:00 a.m.
Pothoven said the reschedule is unfortunate for the team. The first game of the season is always their rivalry game against BVN, which brings more students out than any other game.
“I understand that it’s not safe. It’s not worth risking the heat illness. It’s 100% preventable, but it sucks,” Pothoven said. “It sucks for the boys. This is the one really big game that we get, it’s a really big deal, it’s such a fun game, it’s such a big rivalry.”
Ransom said he believes a good amount of people will show up, despite the time change. It will not be the same as normal, but he said it should be a good turnout.
“I don’t think there’s gonna be as many people, but I still think we’re gonna get a good turnout since it’s the first game of the season,” Ransom said. “It helps that volleyball is playing before and also that it’s our home game against North, our rivals.”
Nonetheless, Ransom said the team is excited for their rivalry game, even with their setbacks.
“It’s a rivalry game so obviously we’re all super excited. We haven’t gotten to beat them in the Husky Night game in the past two years, so it’s important,” Ransom said. “At the end of the day, it’s also an EKL game and we want to win it. That’s where our mindset is.”
