While the first official practice of the 2006 high school football season began on Aug. 7, many Shelby County football teams took advantage of football camps this summer. And that meant dealing with extreme temperatures.

Tim Smith, head football coach for Cornerstone Christian School, and Jim King, head football coach for Montevallo High, recently discussed the way they deal with the heat.

Smith said he took his team to camp at the 4-H Center on Lay Lake Aug. 2-6. He said the heat was so bad that the AISA (Alabama Independent School Association) faxed every school about heat exhaustion, what it is, how to look for it and how to practice.

&8220;And we went by it pretty much,&8221; he said.

Smith said the team practiced in 40 minute intervals and took 10 minute breaks in the shade if they could find some.

He said, &8220;One of the things too that I&8217;ve never done before that they said do is let them take their shoulder pads off for those 10 minutes, you know, and let their bodies cool down a little bit.&8221;

Smith said he was always taught that sweaty clothes cool you down. &8220;But they said take the pads off, so we did, and it helped us,&8221; he said. &8220;Our kids said it was a little better.&8221;

Smith said a car thermometer at his camp registered 101 degrees.

He also said, &8220;We give them all the water they want, but don&8217;t let them gorge themselves.&8221;

Smith said they used to say water makes you weak, but not anymore. &8220;We don&8217;t want to overload them, but we don&8217;t want them to dry out any at all.&8221;

He said symptoms of heat exhaustion are throwing up, turning cold, stopping sweating under the arms, headaches, seeing spots and passing out.

He said if a player starts throwing up, you get him off the field, &8220;And if he passes out, then it&8217;s 911 time.&8221;

Smith said, &8220;We never had anybody miss a practice for heat,&8221; he said, &8220;But we really did try to do the 40, 10.

&8220;We&8217;re trying to be smart with it. It&8217;s just so dangerous this year,&8221; he said.

King said, &8220;We make sure we tell them [football players] every day to hydrate during the day, hydrate at night, make sure you eat in the morning, do not skip lunch. And then we try to break practice down.&8221;

He said, &8220;Our longest period may be 20 minutes. We try to break them every 10 to 15, you know, 10 minute increments and make sure they&8217;ve got plenty of fluids and water in them.&8221;

King said his team played 30 games in different passing camps and did not have any cramping or issues. But he said, &8220;It was very hot.&8221;

King said, &8220;The last thing I ever want to happen as long as I&8217;m a head coach is for one of my kids to get a serious injury from a heat stroke.&8221;