Here at Central High School, athletes are pushed to be in their very best condition, but could dehydration be holding that back? Assistant Football Coach Christopher Kribs thinks that athletes should be drinking at least one gallon of water a day. Kribs, as well as Head Coach Cortney Braswell, wants the best for their players, and that includes staying hydrated!

One of the biggest worries for athletes, as well as the coaches, is not being able to function properly out on the field because they are not consuming enough water.

“Especially right now, with all the humidity, the more water they drink, the more they will be able to function.” stated Kribs. On a daily bases, athletes should be drinking at least 16 ounces of water two hours prior to any sports activity, as well as eight ounces of water ten to twenty minutes before any exercises.

So how can you tell if an athlete is dehydrated?

“A lot of it has to do with if they’re sluggish, and if they start cramping up a lot. You can really tell when they’re dehydrated if they aren’t remembering plays as well and they start forgetting things easily.” Kribs added.

Most kids these days only drink sodas, and drinks usually filled up with sugar. Many people often question drinking Powerade and Gatorade, but a lot of coaches would advise against it. Powerade alone has a large amount of sugar, but if it is the only thing available, it’s the next best thing to water for athletes to be consuming.

Heat strokes are also a large issue of dehydration as well. Feeling dizzy and sluggish can be bad enough, but having to sit out and miss practice because of heat strokes can be even worse. Not only will it affect how you play in the present, but it can also affect how you play in the future, and here at Central High School, we try our best to do as much as we can for every single one of our athletes and if that is keeping them hydrated and healthy, we are on it!