It's all news this summer. The heat, the heat, the heat. Cities are fighting to keep their shrubbery alive. Gardeners have abandoned their backyards and their tomato plants. Firefighters are busy keeping blazes down.
Somebody in the elevator the other day said he can't wait for a 99-degree day again, just to cool down.
And, just in time for August, kids are going back to football practice.
A teen we know starts practice at 6 this morning. He'll be finished well before noon. Which is how it should be. And not just for footballers. But for all those kids in high school bands who have to learn new shows for the fall. And all those cheerleaders who are practicing for Friday Night Lights. They all need to be finished before noon and then head straight indoors to the A/C.
Used to be, in the olden days, coaches made kids practice in the heat of the day, and withheld water from them, too, just to "toughen up" their teams. A really good practice included somebody throwing up or even passing out. We know better now. Let's hope.
But should there be an old-school coach/sadist out there still withholding water, or handing it out as a reward instead of understanding it's a necessity, or keeping kids on the field as the temperature climbs north of 105 Fahrenheit, we know a newspaper that would love a phone call from a concerned parent.
Extracurricular activities are fun things for the kids. But they aren't worth dying for.