The heat is on
 

Spent about 10.5 hours on the field between today and yesterday in the soup Mother Nature gave us for an atmosphere this w/e in Virginia. I've done 2-3 day tournaments before and this is the first time I've ever had cramping. Not bad enough to have to come off the field, but enough to make me wonder about how to deal with a possible week of like conditions in Cary NC in July for PONY.

I'm 59 y/o so maybe its just age catching up to me. The other possibility is that I've been on Weight Watcher's for about a month and lost 17 pounds, so maybe my body's water balance has been messed up.

I'm open to any suggestions about how to manage the possible heat in NC next month. Mineral pills, bananas, gatoraid, etc.

DTQ;

I am 58, and my solution is my 20 year old son, Mark, Jr., :D, and he loves to work the plate.

MTD, Sr.

Pickle juice

I haven't (yet) experienced cramping on the field, but I used to wake up with horrible leg cramps after a long day in the heat and humidity (FL).

Someone once suggested pickle juice to me. I haven't done a scientific comparison, but it seems to work.

My solution is to hoist some beers with me and the other blues after the games. :D

Water, water and when you are done with that, water. Start at least 2 days out and don't stop

I've umpired the PONY Nationals for the past 7 years, and at 59, you should be one of younger umpires. We usually work no more than 4 games per day.

Agree, and for years that was enough. Now I have added a sports/electrolyte drink alternated with water depending on how much sweat.
Also, the bananas, etc, do help.

Water externally, like soaking my head & shirt help keep body temp down.

Lastly, I don't hang out with Dave, even the days before. :rolleyes:

Hey! C'mon, I'm a fun guy. :)

Mike is right. Water, water, water. IMO, all day every day. Plus G2 (the small ones), bananas and ENSURE or BOOST in-between games. I worked 12 games in two days in 85-90 degree heat. I'm in Socal so the humidity wasn't bad, but the heat was.

Also, Saturday I worked on a full Artificial field (running lanes included, got many outs early in the day because the girls came up short lol). This field was surrounded by buildings and walls on all sides. It was a HEAT SINK. Good thing I have multiple pairs of shoes, because the heat came right up through the soles. In the future I will never accept a full day (6 games) on this field.

I agree with many of the above... Start with at least 8 12-oz glasses of water each day starting 2 days before the event... then alternate water/gatorade at least 12 ounces per game - if possible at least an ounce or so every half inning. Pickles and/or pickle juice as well. Watermelon works too.

Living in Texas, I can tell you that JUST water will keep the cramps away, but is not good enough when worried about dehydration. You lose potassium and salt when you sweat... and you stop sweating when you're not getting enough salt. It doesn't take a lot, but either alternating water and gatorade or throwing in 10 potato chips or tortilla chips every couple hours is plenty of sodium to keep you going.

I too live in Texas and had to laugh at the the thought of 85-90 degrees as heat. Worked 8 games Saturday and Sunday in 100 degrees and the humidity was much worse Sunday. I really don't like it but it's what we have to work in this time of year.

I had about 5 HS games on artificial fields this season (these fields really saved us come playoff time when it was raining and the schools had to get their games in somewhere). I was thinking these were convenient now but would get hot in the summer. Turf gets your shoes clean, though.

To the OP: water, lots of water.

Getting to be that time to start hydrating.

Let me know if you're up for a brew, too. You'll be in my neck of the woods.

2 days out is not enough. Begin a week out. Start with more water than you normally drink. Add in a Propel or Gatorade. Increase quantity until the day before you're up to 9 or 10 cups of water and 2 to 3 bottles of gatorade. You're gonna float.... and you're gonna pee every 20 minutes. That's a good thing.

This regime allowed me to survive Las Vegas at the USA/ASA 18-A last year in an AVERAGE of 113 F heat. Our hottest day was 118 F, and I had 4 games. It was hell, but I couldn't have done it unless I was hydrated waaay ahead of time.

Agree with the water. Some will tell you that it isn't necessary, two days is about all the body can really hold, but that isn't the point. The idea of starting that early is so the body can acclimate to the increased fluid level and adjust its consumption time table.

No doctor, just seems how it works for me. Otherwise, especially for us old folks, the body will start getting rid of the fluids almost as quick as you can put them in your body.

Been working two games a night when we aren't rained out the last couple of weeks. Games start at 6 with temps in the 90s. That's not the killer though-humidity:eek:. If any of you have been in South Texas after a rain shower, you know what I mean. Just walking from the truck to the field my undershirt is soaked. Hydration is the key though. I have been drinking nothing but water and Gatorade type drinks. All day every day. At least 64 oz of water per day. A couple waters during the game. A gatorade type around lunch and one after the last game.

big whup. 11 games in two days @ 100. :D

:D:D
Time limits?
Number of games don't always tell the story.
How about hrs on field / hrs at site.:cool:

In fact another factor - Umpire facilities????

In the last few weekends, I've had
1) Parking lot
2) Upstairs scorer's booth (4-plex) windows and fan
3) Upstairs scorer's booth (4-plex) AIR CONDITIONED!!!

South Florida Heat and humidity
1:15 / finish the inning

Friday: Base, Base, Base, OFF, Plate, Plate
Sat: Base, Off, Plate, Plate, Off Base, Base
Sun. Base, Off, Plate, Plate, Off Base

Last weekend- the only weekend that I haven't umpired a tournament this season- we had temps in the mid-to-upper 90's and high humidity. Two umpires went down in the heat, requiring visits from paramedics. Part of the treatment was to lie the guys down and pack ice around their bodies.

One of the guys that went down was our district ASA commissioner. The only reason he was umpiring at all was as an emergency replacement for the first umpire that went down in the heat! When he told me about this, I said, "Gee, I miss all the fun stuff". :D

Instead of roasting on the field that weekend, I was basking on the beach in North Carolina.

Learned a hard lesson. Didn't hydrate as much as I needed to before the event. Got thru 4 games Saturday with a bottle or two of water and small bottle of gatorade per game. Didn't load up with water Saturday night and was set up for Sunday. During my 3rd game had leg cramps every time I broke from behind the plate. Walked off the field OK, and 20 minutes later I couldn't stand or even sit up because BP was way down and then got cramps all over the place. Wound up getting 2L of IV fluid in the ER. Took Monday off and drank like a fiend and peed like a fire hose all day. Woke up in the middle of the night on Monday and had to change my PJs from sweating in bed even though the AC was cranking. A few bottles of g-ade and water before my games Tuesday and Wednesday and g-Ade and water all day long; 4 games per day, mid to upper 90s in NC. Never stopped peeing line a fire hose both days. Valuable lesson learned. I think my 22 lb weight loss since early May in part set me up for this, but I'll not do a multi day event again w/o being prepared. The ER nurse said you can mess up your kidneys from dehydration.

Ouch... Sorry to hear about it, man...

Hey, if you needed something, why didn't you call? I'd have helped, Blue! :)

Hope you're all right. If you're still in town and want to grab a beer, let me know.

NCASA Ump

Thanx for the offer, but I drove back to No. VA today. Don't feel any worse for the experience but I'll not forget it until I'm senile.

Are you from the Cary area? I can look you up next year cause I'm thinking about going back for more punishment. I worked in Middle Creek HS, Thomas Brooks Park by USA Baseball and Bond Park if you are familiar with those venues. They also used Womble and Green Hope HS. Never worked on a bermuda grass OF before.

I'll say it again - though I have to relearn the same lesson now & then.
In the heat & hmidity, if you don't have to go, you need to drink.
And that's after hydrating for several days prior to the weekend.

We had a couple of guys go down this past weekend, and another couple that got closer to going down than they wanted to - this was in Mike's backyard.

Most of us are no longer 20 or even 20-something - so we can't do the same lack of taking care of ourselves that we did when we were younger.

And though I don't mind helping, I'd rather umpires not go down.

Next year we are going to be ready with a couple umpires (probably myself and one other) standing by just in case this happens again.

Was that at the JT showcase?

Yep

Just back from my hottest in years, USSSA World Series East, temps 95 - 101 plus 5 - 7 heat indexes, reflecting off light dusty fields. My knowledge, our discussions like pre-hydrating; and gallons of half-water/half-Gatorade made it possible. Also, I work on keeping my body as cool as posssible, water on my head, wet towel on my neck, etc. Back-to-back Sunday morning was tough, though.

Were you in Kissimmee?

No, Salisbury.

Just wondering.
I'm not scheduled to do any of the Kissimmee games, but a friend is over there.
He keeps threatening that I might be needed if they get desperate.