Summer Sports and Storms

Summer swim season, baseball and softball leagues, golf and outdoor summer sports camps are in full swing around the country. But, so are summer storms.

We had a tragic event happen in our community this week. One boy was killed and another was gravely injured after being struck by lightning as they walked off the baseball diamond.  The league had followed precautions and had put the game on a 30 minute delay – even though it wasn’t raining and only one smal bit of lightning had been seen in the area.  This was definitely a freak accident, but one that reminds us of the dangers of outdoor sports and inclement weather.

Review the following safety tips from the NCAA’s Lightning Safety Guidelines:

• Designate a person to monitor threatening weather and make the decision to remove a team or individuals from an athletic event.
• Monitor local weather reports each day before any practice or event. Be aware of potential thunderstorms.
• Know where a close safe structure or location is to the field or playing area.
• Awareness should be heightened at the first flash of lightning, clap of thunder, or other signs such as increasing winds or darkening skies, no matter how far away.
• Avoid using land-line telephones, except in emergencies. People have been killed while using land-line telephones during thunderstorms.
• Cellular or cordless phones are safe alternatives to a land-line phone, particularly if the person and the antenna are within a safe structure and if other precautions are followed.
• Safety experts recommend waiting 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and last flash of lightning before resuming athletic activities.

Play hard, but play safe this summer!!