My son, Cory, is the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the St. Cloud Bulldogs in St. Cloud, Florida in addition to his duties as Head Weightlifting Coach and one of the freshmen football coaches.

Cory's philosophy is to make training fun. Nobody enjoys training or conditioning; they would rather PLAY. One of his grad school professors at the University of Central Florida was Dr. Jeff Duke, who coached for 18 years at FSU under the legendary Bobby Bowden. Dr. Duke taught Cory to make his sport into a "playground."

Cory's philosophy is that you can improve as an athlete, garner great conditioning and have still have fun. Anyone who says you can't have fun and get the work in is just plain naive.

Nobody likes doing workouts with heat indexes approaching 110 degrees on a hot August day. In an effort to find a way to make it fun, Cory decided to have his players meet down at the lakefront on the shores of East Lake Toho.

He proceeded to have them perform a very aggressive, sport-specific workout regimen that closely resembles those of SEAL trainees. All the while, he was making it fun.

Normally, people that have to train in 100 degree + heat are not smiling. However, it would stun you to see the faces of these young men as they did their exercises on the shores of East Lake Toho in St. Cloud.

In this heat however, hydration is absolutely the key to making training in the heat of summer work. Drinking water BEFORE physical activity is just as crucial as drinking during activity. If you're thirsty, it's already too late; you're dehydrated.

Try this; weigh yourself before and after physical activity to determine weight fluids lost from sweating. Replace that deficit in bodyweight with fluids after physical activity. Milk, carbonated, and sugar-laden drinks don't count as hydration… WATER does! Drinking what you think you need is not enough. You must force hydration in many instances.

In addition to proper hydration (and often overlooked) is the process of heat acclimatization. Acclimatization takes 9-14 days of progressive exercise in the heat. Heat acclimatization in football involves a progression of adding equipment.

For instance, Cory will acclimatize players in a deliberate fashion. He introduces helmets only for three days. Next he combines helmets and shoulder pads, but only for four days. Finally, full gear is then introduced.

Most football players are already acclimated due to summer conditioning. The equipment progression further enhances their heat tolerance. Once the body is acclimated, many heat related illnesses can be avoided in conjunction with proper hydration and frequent rest periods. Keeping the body temp down to a reasonable level and making sure the body has adequate water makes the process of an intense football practice palatable.

Two-a-day practices are a staple of football. High school players lack the stringent oversight of the NCAA or the NFL Players Association, and therefore some high schools practice much longer than their elder brethren. Both college and NFL practices are strictly controlled, time-managed affairs with dire penalties towards those in charge that violate their respective mandates.

Those who violate the norms could end up on the short end of a $10 million law suit for a wrongful death, evidenced by the Erik Plancher verdict that was recently awarded by an Orlando jury in the University of Central Florida case. To be fair, that might not have been totally a heat related death, but it was a contributing factor, so thought the jury.

The vast majority of players at all levels are in good hands with certified athletic trainers and hyper-aware coaches maintaining a constant vigilance against heat-related illnesses. Coaches want to compete, but the will to win is never worth the life of a player.

With proper procedures, realistic expectations and just plain common sense, no player should ever be added to the over 120 heat-related football deaths that have occurred since 1960.

Everyone is responsible at every level, be they elementary schools, Pop Warner, middle schools, high schools, colleges or the pros. The players, teammates, coaches, teachers, administrators, AND parents are all responsible. Be smart, be safe, and above all, have fun.