Piggott High School holds “Beat the Heat” meeting for athletes

PIGGOTT, Ark. (KAIT) - With fall sports practices beginning soon, Piggott High School wants to make sure athletes “Beat the Heat.”

The school hosted a meeting Monday night designed to educate students and parents about hydration and heat-related illness prevention.

Clinton Haley, athletic director and head football coach, emphasized safety across all extracurricular activities.

“Safety is our number one issue, period,” Haley said. “Any extracurricular — football, band, tennis, golf, anything — safety is at the forefront.”

Using an outline from the Kendrick Fincher Foundation, Haley highlighted the seriousness of hydration.

“There’s lots of different things, materials that you can use, many foundations, because this is happening more than it should,” he said.

He stressed that hydration starts at home, not just during activities.

“They gotta be drinking water. Now, we have a huge impact, coaches. But the parents have a big job to do to help them get prepared for that, in my opinion,” Haley said.

While competition is important, safety remains the priority.

“It’s great to compete, it’s great to have team chemistry,” Haley added. “But safety is our number one key for our kids.”

The Kendrick Fincher Foundation was established after Kendrick Fincher died 18 days after a heat stroke in 1995.

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