It is August. It
is summer. It is hot, and it is kick-off time across the
country as pre-season football practice begins. Players
will expect to get hot and sweaty, as their coaches
attempt to whip them into shape. However a combination
of hot/humid weather, tough conditioning drills and
players unaccustomed to practicing in the heat, can make
August a deadly and dangerous month.
Despite all the
warnings, the National Center for Catastrophic Sport
Injury Research reports that 24 football players (19
high school, 3 college and 2 professional) have died
from heatstroke since 1995. The main problem associated
with exercising in the hot weather is the water loss
through sweating. However drinking water is simply not
enough. In extremely hot weather the body will sweat at
a rate faster than water can be absorbed into the
system. So how can we reduce the amount of sweating,
while at the same time help the body to regulate its
core body temperature?
The answer is the
Arctic Heat Body Cooling Vest. A lightweight cool vest
which will not only help to protect athletes from heat
related illness, but it will also allow athletes to work
harder for longer. The Arctic Heat cooling vest was
originally developed for football players in Australia
and it now used by International teams in every other
major football code in the world. Rugby League, Rugby
Union, Soccer and Australian Rules Football all use the
cooling vest to protect their athletes and to improve
their performance. It was also used at the Athens
Olympics by all the major sporting countries, including
many of the USA teams.The military in Iraq are even
using the Arctic Heat cooling vests.
“The Arctic Heat
Cooling Vest, designed for football, will legally
improve performance and will also help protect an
athlete’s health,” said Dr John Surie, President of
Arctic Heat USA.
The ice cold
cooling vest can be worn underneath playing uniforms, it
can be used as a pre-cooling device before conditioning
drills, and it can be used as a recovery tool in between
or after sessions. Yet enquiries from local football
teams have so far been limited. “There seems to be a
different mentality in football that you have to run
players hard and make them sweat, in order to toughen
them up. We believe it is better to cool down and fire
up athletes. Most other sporting codes in the world now
agree with us,” said Dean Sainsbury from the Arctic Heat
company.
Arctic Heat has
also developed a range of unique cooling blankets and
cooling caps which can be used to immediately treat
players who have overheated. "The cooling caps can be
used during a game to cool players down. When they come
to the bench they can remove their helmets, put the cool
cap on, and cool down,” said Dr Surie.
The lightweight
Arctic Heat Cooling Vest uses a two stage cooling
process. The vests contain a gel-like substance that can
be frozen or chilled. The cooling vests are manufactured
using Woolmark's Sportwool, a special body cooling
fabric which incorporates Vapor Management Technology,
helping to wick moisture away from the skin, allowing
the user to keep dry.
