What Your Kid's Program Should Already Have in Place

Most youth practices and games happen without an athletic trainer on site. That means the coach, the volunteer or the parent standing closest is the first responder if something goes wrong. You don't need medical training to find out whether those adults are ready. You just need to know what to ask.

Bring these questions to a preseason meeting, or send them to the coach or athletic director. A prepared program will have answers. If it doesn't, the questions themselves are a good start.

1. Head impacts

Ask: "If my child takes a hit to the head, what happens next?"

A good answer:

• Helmets and headgear are the certified model for the sport, fitted to each athlete and checked during the season.
• Gear is reconditioned or retired on a written schedule.
• An athlete is pulled from play on suspicion of a concussion. The staff doesn't wait to be sure.
• Nobody goes back in the same day. Return happens step by step, with supervision, before contact starts again.

2. Sudden collapse

Ask: "Where is the AED, and who goes to get it?"

A good answer:

• There's an AED at the field, unlocked, with signs showing where it is. Everyone on staff knows the spot.
• Coaches are current on CPR and AED use.
• A collapse is treated as a cardiac emergency until proven otherwise.
• Before the season, one person is assigned to run for the AED while another starts compressions.

3. Heat

Ask: "If an athlete goes down in the heat, where do you cool them?"

Exertional heat stroke is 100% survivable when the athlete is cooled fast, on site. At 104°F the body loses its ability to regulate its own temperature, so the staff can't wait for it to recover on its own.

A good answer:

• A cold-water immersion tub, or a tarp and ice as a backup, is at the field and ready before practice starts.
• Someone calls 911 and someone starts cooling at the same time.
• Cooling starts within 10 minutes, using whole-body cold-water immersion with ice agitation.
• The goal is about 102°F within 30 minutes. Cool first, transport second.
• Activity limits are set by wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), not the air temperature on a phone.

For a full heat plan, see nationalstaycoolday.com.

4. Too much, too often

Ask: "How many days off does the schedule have?"

A good answer:

• Rest days and a real offseason are written into the calendar.
• Volume limits for the sport are followed, including in practice.
• Growing athletes are treated as growing athletes, not small professionals.
• Kids can report pain without losing playing time for it.

Overuse injuries usually come from scheduling decisions made by adults. That makes them one of the easiest risks to fix.

5. Weather and the field itself

Ask: "Who decides when play stops, and on what rule?"

A good answer:

• When thunder roars, everyone goes indoors, and there's a set waiting period before play resumes.
• Heat and air quality are checked before the session, not halfway through it.
• Fields are inspected before the season, and goals and other equipment are anchored.
• Water and shade are there, or the session doesn't happen.

The point of a rule is that it's decided ahead of time. Nobody should be arguing about lightning while it's overhead.

6. The emergency plan

Ask: "Can I see the emergency action plan for this field?"

A good answer:

• There's a separate plan for each venue, because the ambulance entrance is different at every field.
• Every job has a name on it: who calls 911 and what they say, who gets the AED or fills the tub, who meets the ambulance, who writes down the times.
• The staff has walked through it together.
• It's reviewed at the start of each season and after any incident.

Schools can build a free plan with the emergency action plan builder at nationalstaycoolday.com.

Before the first practice

Print this, or send it to the coach as a list:

1. What happens after a hit to the head?
2. Where is the AED, and who gets it?
3. Where do you cool an athlete with heat stroke?
4. How many rest days are on the schedule?
5. Who stops play for weather, and on what rule?
6. Can I see the emergency plan for this field?

Asking isn't accusing anyone. Good coaches are glad someone asked.

Bring it to your program

If your school or league wants help putting these pieces in place, contact the Council. To get your school involved in National Stay Cool Day on April 8, 2027, visit nationalstaycoolday.com.