COLUMBUS, Ohio — Keeping athletes safe in the heat at the Ohio State 7 on 7 football camp is Shaun Barnhouse’s top priority. Barnhouse, who is the assistant athletic director for athletic training at OSU, said he and his team have to expect the unexpected.

 “So it's really it's really comes down to prevention and anticipation of potential issues that arise,” said the Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Training at The Ohio State University, Shaun Barnhouse. 

What You Need To Know

  • The OSU Assistant Athletic Director for Athletic Training, Shaun Barnhouse, and his team kept the athletes during 7 on 7 high school football camp safe in extreme heat

  • Barnhouse shares with Spectrum News 1 that extra water, time in the shade and more breaks are the best ways to keep athletes safe outside in this heat

  • According to Barnhouse, having an anticipatory mindset is the best way to handle athletes in extreme heat

"It's all about anticipating the extra heat. So having extra stations of hydration, having extra hands on deck to manage the athletes that are out here and during practices as well. So just having that an anticipatory mindset for days like today,” said Barnhouse.

The camp, which is in its final day, attracts some of the top high school football players from around the country. Several hydration stations and water misting tents are set up around the outdoor practice field. While the indoor practice field is also open to let players get some shade when they need to. But it’s the resources and professional staff that are crucial in ensuring the safety of the athletes in case heat related issues arise. 

“Having those all those eyes, our coaches, our medical staff, having all those eyes on those athletes, it's important to be able to deal with those issues when they do come up. So having the resources available readily is key to making sure that that issue, if it if that issue does come up, it doesn't get any worse,” said Barnhouse.

With feel-like temperatures almost reaching 100 degrees all week, lots of water, time in the shade and more breaks are the keys to keeping athletes safe outside in the extreme heat.