1. Football Pre-Season Acclimatization Practice Period Updated 4/25/13

2. Background SMAC topic for 4-5 years – Committee concerned about the acclimatization of athletes in the fall Ad-Hoc Committee tried to bring about a number of reforms – Creation of acclimatization period in the summer – Others not supported for variety of reasons

3. Background Similar to concussions, the medical data supports this change – Heat illness is preventable – 25 states have either adopted or are working on developing similar policies Goal: to enhance exercise heat tolerance and the ability to exercise safely and effectively in warm to hot conditions.

4. Background SMAC nearly made these same recommendations at their fall 2012 meeting – Wanted to meet with experts in this field and the IHSA Football Advisory Committee – The new policy reflects the consensus of those groups – Allows for some flexibility while creating a safer, consistent approach for all schools during this time

5. Key Points Acclimatization Period is the initial 14 consecutive days of preseason practice for all football-playing student-athletes ALL S-A should follow the 14 day heat acclimatization plan regardless of their conditioning program or status leading up to their first practice

6. Key Points This policy is designed to help the S-A core temperature return to safe levels – when that doesn’t occur, performance decreases and the physiological strain on the s-a increases – 2 hour break provides the opportunity for a S-A to replenish the appropriate amount of nutrients needed for another practice. It allows coaches the freedom to split their practice times as they deem necessary.

7. Week 1 (week 6 in IHSA Standardized Calendar) Day of Week Practice LengthAllowed Equipment SundayNothing MondayNothing TuesdayNothing Wednesday - day 1 3 hours of practice limit. With a 1 hour walk-through. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practice and w-t. Helmet only Thursday – day 2 3 hours of practice limit. With a 1 hour walk-through. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practice and w-t. Helmet only Friday – day 3 3 hours of practice limit. With a 1 hour walk-through. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practice and w-t. Helmet and shoulder pads Saturday – day 4 3 hours of practice limit. With a 1 hour walk-through. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practice and w-t. Helmet and shoulder pads

8. Week 2 (week 7 in IHSA Standardized Calendar) Day of Week Practice LengthAllowed Equipment Sunday – day 5 Rest Day—No PracticeNone Monday – day 6 3 hours of practice limit. With a 1 hour walk-through. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practice and w-t. Helmet and shoulder pads Tuesday – day 7 5 hours of practice limit. No single practice can exceed 3 hours. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practices. Full pads Wednesday – day 8 3 hours of practice limit. With a 1 hour walk-through. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practice and w-t. Full pads Thursday – day 9 5 hours of practice limit. No single practice can exceed 3 hours. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practices. Full pads Friday – day 10 3 hours of practice limit. With a 1 hour walk-through. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practice and w-t. Full pads Saturday – day 11 5 hours of practice limit. No single practice can exceed 3 hours. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practices. Full pads

9. Week 3 (week 8 in IHSA Standardized Calendar) Day of Week Practice LengthAllowed Equipment Sunday – day 12 Rest Day – No PracticeNo pads Monday – day 13 5 hours of practice limit. No single practice can exceed 3 hours. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practices. Full pads Tuesday – day 14 3 hours of practice limit. With a 1 hour walk-through. A minimum of 2 hours rest between practice and w-t. Full pads WednesdayAcclimatization period over.School option ThursdayAcclimatization period over.School option FridayAcclimatization period over.School option SaturdayAcclimatization period over.School option

10. Football Acclimatization Period Q: What constitutes practice activity? A: Warm-up, stretching, cool down, conditioning, weight room activities, and on-field instruction in the skill of the sport Q: What is a walk-through? A: A teaching opportunity with athletes not wearing protective equipment (helmets or shoulder pads). A football may not be used. This may not include conditioning or weight room activities.

11. Football Acclimatization Period Q: What constitutes rest/recovery period? A: The time between the end of a practice or walk- through and the beginning of the next practice or walk- through. During this time, athletes should rest in a cool environment, with no sport- or conditioning-related activity permitted (eg, speed or agility drills, strength training, conditioning, or walk-through). Treatment with the athletic trainer is permissible as is classroom work or video review.

12. Final Thoughts IHSA Board of Directors recommends schools use this same acclimatization model during the up-coming summer contact period. Expected by-law proposals next year: – Restrictions on contact during summer – Move football start up 2 days – Require same acclimatization plan in summer

13. Questions Following today’s webinar, if individuals have additional questions, please contact: – Craig Anderson (canderson@ihsa.org)canderson@ihsa.org