LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — With students going back to school, fall athletics are getting back underway.
Between football, volleyball, and cross country — like any sport — athletes are required to pass a physical to participate. Without being medically cleared by a physician, a student cannot try out, practice, or play in their respective sport.
It's an NIAA rule that an active student-athlete must have passed at least one sports physical in two years. Clark County School District requires its athletes to retake a physical yearly.
Channel 13's Nick Walters took a trip to a Vegas healthcare center to undergo the necessary exams from a family medicine physician who is licensed to conduct them.
"According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, you don’t necessarily need to be participating in an organized sport to be considered an athlete," pediatrician Dr. Justine Suba-Cohen said. "It’s important to get a sports physical because during a sports physical, a pediatrician will evaluate for any previous history of concussions or head injuries, talk about any heart health conditions, mental health concerns that can impact that athlete or that student’s participation in certain activities.”
Nick went to Liberty High School in Henderson to hear from their football team on the sports physicals they were required to go and take.
"Sports puts a lot of stress on your body, so they want to make sure you’re able to handle it and that there’s no underlying injuries and stuff like that that you don’t know about," senior linebacker and tight end Melvin Whitehead said.
“It’s worth the hassle because it makes sure that you know that you’re good to go," Whitehead continued. "If you can’t do a physical, you shouldn’t be coming out and here and playing, especially football here in the 110 or 115 degrees.”
Confirming one's readiness to play safely is even more important in the Nevada desert, where scorching temperatures can cause unexpected health problems.
“They are definitely at high risk of heat exhaustion for heat stroke," Suba-Cohen said. "When that happens, these athletes can suffer from nausea, vomiting, confusion, even pass out, have high (heart) rates or weak pulses.”
“30 years ago, maybe people weren’t as up on the safety and coaches would withhold water as a sign of your toughness or your manhood if you could go through practice without water," Liberty head football coach Rich Muraco said after having to cancel practice due to the heat. "But that’s not how it is these days. We have a wet bulb thermometer that tells the heat index on the field, and if it gets above a certain level we have restrictions.”
CCSD announces events, clinics, and discounts to its schools that help the district's students get easy access to sports physicals. Coaches work on-hand with their athletes to ensure they're informed of the physical requirements and should be contacted with questions from children or parents.
