It’s gonna be hot and humid at Dog Days. We need all the players to be fed and hydrated properly for their safety. This should begin on Friday morning. Here’s GU14 Coach BJ’s advice on how to be safe and perform at your best:

These are only suggestions and are not mandatory. Well, actually the water is mandatory… đŸ™‚

Water: All players should drink half of their body weight in ounces of water on Friday. That means a 100 lb player should drink 50 oz. of water. Also, drink a 8-16 oz. of water about an hour before the start of each game. For your water jug, aim for 1/4 ice and 3/4 water and cold to room temperature. Super cold water can shock the system or cause stomach cramps.

Food: Breakfast should be a healthy start to the day. Saturday breakfast should be a light meal about 2 hours before the game start. A good choice would be peanut butter on a piece of toast with fruit like a banana, pineapple, oranges, apples, apple sauce, etc. This will give you energy. Lunch should be veggies, protein, complex carbs like sweet potato, and fruit. Dinner on Friday and Saturday should be a pasta dish, preferably whole grain, to carb up before a big day of games. For a snack between games eat some fruit (bananas, pineapple, oranges, apple sauce, all give you energy).

Sugar: Stay away from sugary drinks this weekend as they can cause dehydration and fatigue. Pop and many sports drinks are high in sugar and should be avoided. Check the label for sugar and caffeine content and remember that some bottles are actually two servings so the “grams per serving” numbers would actually be double if drinking the whole bottle.