By now, nearly every single high school and college program around the country have officially started camp during the hottest months of the year.
If you coach in Texas or Louisiana, where Scott and Zach have told me that temperatures have climbed toward 100 degrees the past few days, that means finding a way to beat the heat for your staff and players during some of the most grueling practices of the year.
Last week we detailed Arizona's interesting incentive for players to bypass the annual conditioning test and included the picture above. What you may not have noticed at first glance is the 5-gallon buckets with a motorized fan on top sitting around the players. Fill those buckets with some cool water and the misting fan turns it into a mobile air conditioning unit.
Pretty brilliant huh?
After reaching out to Arizona, we learned that these bucket air conditioner units are available to purchase at your local Home Depot or Ace Hardware locations. The cordless fan unit and motor attachment go for just $59.99 and you can purchase the two speed fan for $79.97 (for a limited time). A full charge will keep the fans humming for 2 hours.
This inspired us to start a think-tank of sorts to help share ideas that you're using that may benefit other programs when it comes to keeping players (and your coaching staff) safer and cooler during the dog days of summer.
For example: While Michigan summers don't come close to what coaches down South deal with, I've seen a lot of coaches in the Midwest resorting to cooling towels like these to put on their neck and head on hot days to stay cool while on the field. I can personally testify that they work wonders and are well worth the sub $20 price tag.
So, what are you doing to beat the heat? Let us know @CoachSamz or via email at Doug@FootballScoop.com and we'll help spread the word to promote a safer training camp for programs everywhere.
A screen shot from the home depot website of the cordless fan unit and motor (minus the bucket) is included below.
Louisiana-Monroe: