Coach Ed Pilcher’s 2012 Bainbridge High School Bearcats football team began their off-season non-contact workouts this week.

The players report to the field house around 8 a.m. each morning and do a weight room circuit that includes bench presses, squats and power cleans. They then go out onto the practice field and do some throwing and catching in shorts until around 10:30 a.m.

The week of July 4 will be a dead period for all Georgia high school football teams. No team can have any kind of organized workouts during that week. The first day teams can officially go into full pads is Wednesday, August 1.

Under the new Georgia High School Association heat policy, no workout in a single day may last more than three hours if multiple practices are held, and no total practice sessions can last more than five hours in a single day. There must be at least three hours of rest between practices.

Pilcher said he is comfortable with the new heat regulations.
“Research provided by University of Georgia researchers showed that heat illness rates are highest in our part of the country” he said. “There were two Georgia high school players who died from heat related incidents last year and that is two too many.”

Researchers also found that heat-related deaths among football players across the country tripled to nearly three per year between 1994 to 2009. They have averaged one per year the previous 15 years.

“We have already provided a cool area with fans on our practice field where players can go during practice breaks,” Pilcher said. “My assistant coaches and I also plan to provide Gatorade and other liquids to players between breaks to keep them hydrated.”