At what point in the summer should a tournament not be played? DFW this weekend has highs of 105 with a THI 112+. Unless the facility has a building in which umpires can cool down, its just too hot and too risky. Providing a shady spot is not enough when its this hot.
How hot is too hot?
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DD played ASA Southern 10U Nationals in Dallas in 2012. Hot! All I can say is thank goodness the humidity was low. Pray for morning games or late night. Summer of 2011 was the hottest summer and I was questioning this whole summer softball thing. It has not gotten that hot since then. Something like 20 days in a row over 100.
Hey Cali folks. Ever play Field of Dreams in Perris during the summer? Blazing!!!
Hey Cali folks. Ever play Field of Dreams in Perris during the summer? Blazing!!!
Yep, it can brutally hot out there. And cold in the winter.
- Jul 5, 2016
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My rule of thumb for riding my bike is that when I am coasting downhill and the breeze isn't cooling meoff, then it is too hot. Happens here in NJ at about 95 degrees - 65-70% humidity.
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We played in Redding a couple of years ago. It was 108 both days on Turf in BLD. We played 6 games in a little over 24 hours. To be fair the late game on Saturday it got down to 99 and the early game on Sunday was only 100. They at least had misters in the dugouts, but on the field it felt like a blast furnace. I imaging you could play in hotter but that was about the limit for me.
We had our town close the fields back in 2019 because of excessive heat. The local USSSA tournament got scrapped because the town closed the fields and did not issue permits. They felt the predicted temps of 101+ were too high for player and umpire safety, so they made the call and canceled all town events for the two days it was supposed to be that hot. The local baseball facility continued to play their tournament on their turf field complex since it was privately owned, and they had to treat over a dozen players and umpires for heat stroke. I imagine the temperature on the turf was over 115. To me, that's not safe, especially for catchers and umpires.
A few weeks ago DD played a tournament where the temps were up to 113 (it didn't get below 100 until the sun went down). She struggled a little the first day but by the second day she had made a couple adjustments and had no problems. She was the only one on her team who had any issues with the heat.
The worst temps she faced were back in 8U when she played in 116 degrees (for a late morning game, IIRC). That tournament ended up changing its schedule to avoid midday games because it was so hot, but cancellation was never an option.
The worst temps she faced were back in 8U when she played in 116 degrees (for a late morning game, IIRC). That tournament ended up changing its schedule to avoid midday games because it was so hot, but cancellation was never an option.
I have yet to see a tournament canceled in Arizona and we play all summer long. The lack of humidity is certainly a factor, but I have seen games played when the temps were approaching 120 degrees. I have never heard of anyone being in real danger. Hell, I've seen people playing soccer in that type of heat.
Had I not moved here to see it myself, I would not have believed that it was possible. I think the trick is to have a very healthy respect for the heat and always have strategies to reduce body temps and hydrate.
Had I not moved here to see it myself, I would not have believed that it was possible. I think the trick is to have a very healthy respect for the heat and always have strategies to reduce body temps and hydrate.
