Vancouver sports clubs remind players to hydrate, take to shade during heatwave

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — A long duration heatwave is upon us and while many sports clubs and outdoor work is being shut down for safety, some youth sports are going ahead with safety measures in place.

Emma Gibbons, the CEO of Volleyball BC, says beaches will be filled with youth tournaments this weekend and says everyone is reminded to seek shade and take longer breaks.

“We’ve got between 24 and 30 teams registered for each tournament, and we do different age groups … both boys and girls,” she says.

Metro Vancouver is expected to see temperatures in the high 30s both Saturday and Sunday, as a “heat dome” sets in over the Pacific Northwest.

Gibbons says the demand for participation in the tournament has been high, and they’re looking forward to seeing people “show their stuff at the beach.”

“Obviously don’t forget sunscreen, like that’s a big thing at the moment. And we’re seeing a lot of people getting burnt while they’re playing,” she says.

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John Braaten, president of Cloverdale Baseball, says while games are going ahead this weekend athletes can easily overheat during a heatwave, especially in uniform.

“One time we went to check on a catcher because we noticed he wasn’t balanced properly, and sure enough he was getting close to that point, where we removed him from the game to rehydrate them,” he says.

Braaten says hydration and breaks are a must, but if you need to be in the sun, find ways to get shade.

“We work on keeping tarps and tents … we just make sure we have enough protection,” Braaten says.

Many minor league games have also been moved to earlier and later in the day to avoid the hottest hours.

“We do ask players to hop in and hustle out off the field to make the game go by faster. But given the heat, their bodies don’t react that way, and sometimes walking off the field is our way of conserving energy, or maybe a sign of dehydration,” Braaten says.

– With files from Tim James