The fall sports season kicked off at Oak Park and River Forest High School in August with practices and games in all kinds of weather, from sunshine to rain to extreme heat. Student athletes and coaches have had to adjust.

“It’s pretty annoying,” said Jeremy Meier, a junior who runs cross country and track and field. “I remember, one day we kept switching from inside to outside and back again, and we ended up just staying inside because there’s a thunderstorm.”

Inclement weather “has become more prevalent” during her tenure at the school, especially in the summer, according to Nicole Ebsen, the athletic director at OPRF. “We had a lot of cancellations or delays to our summer camps this year, and heat days just in general,” Ebsen said.

In Illinois, there has been a 40% increase in the number of extreme precipitation events since the early 1900s, according to a 2015 report from the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. In addition, temperatures are rising in Illinois, according to data from the NOAA Centers for Environmental Information compiled by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Between 1900 and 2020, average daily temperatures increased in Illinois by one to two degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat increases are having effects on fall sports. Over the past few years, the hotter temperatures resulted in more golf match cancellations, said Bill Young, the OPRF boys golf head coach and history teacher. He also pointed to stricter Illinois High School Association (IHSA) guidelines on heat.

The IHSA currently uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WGBT), which sets guidelines for practices and games when the temperature is 80 degrees or above. A WGBT measures heat stress by taking into account the temperature, humidity, cloud coverage, sunlight and wind speed, according to the IHSA.

With higher temperatures come risks to health. Heat can result in muscle cramps, dizziness, headaches, and nausea according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Student athletes are taking precautions to stay safe. 

“I usually put ice in my water,” said Ayelet Meir, a senior who plays tennis. “Sometimes I’ll put water on the back of my neck to cool down if I need to.”

OPRF has been taking actions to help mitigate the effects of hotter temperatures.

“When we put the new turf field in, we got what was called cool play,” Ebsen said. “So the cool play actually helps reduce the temperature on the turf.”

On the horizon is the opening of the Project 2 facilities, estimated to be complete by August 2026, which will include air-conditioned facilities. Ebsen hopes this will allow fewer practices to be canceled due to heat, as they will be able to move inside.

In the meantime, OPRF sports are subject to the weather’s whims. While all sports find themselves impacted by changes in weather, football faces special challenges. IHSA guidelines on heat include special restrictions on the amount of equipment football players can wear depending on the temperature. When the temperature gets too hot, football has few opportunities to pivot due to the construction, said Joseph Conway, the head freshman football coach.

“Lots of times, if it gets really bad, we’ll go in and watch film, just in an air-conditioned room,” Conway said. “We only get a nine-week season, so it’s sort of bad when you have to watch film a couple days in a row as opposed to being on the field.”

As the fall season transitions into cooler temperatures, student-athletes will face different challenges as temperatures drop. Coaches are ready to support their athletes.

“I think the big thing that’s important to do well is just being prepared,” Young said. “Making sure [players] have the proper layers, gloves, umbrella, or whatever they may need.”