Inclement Weather Policy
Should the University be closed due to inclement weather all practices, workouts and competitions will need the permission of the AD or their designee. Travel conditions and the safety of student-athletes, coaches, administrators and support staff will be the deciding factor. This is accordance with the June 2016 statement from the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports on inclement/hazardous weather for athletics departments.
“Inclement weather poses unique challenges to athletics operations, partly because of the seasonal and geographic frequency of such events, and because of the disparate impact on members of the athletics team. Student-athletes, most of whom live on or very close to campus, are impacted differently than coaches, support staff, and athletics administrators, who may live at some distance from campus, and who are, therefore, subject to weather conditions that may be very different than those occurring on campus. They may also have the additional difficulty of a commute.
In recent years, the committee has fielded complaints from athletics support staff who report having to journey to campus during inclement weather to attend practices or other non-competition events, even when the campus has been effectively shut down and classes canceled. These complaints become more pronounced when athletics personnel believe themselves to be exposed to personal risks to attend what are perceived as non-essential activities, and especially for practices and other obligations for sports outside of the traditional season. Consequently, the committee provides member institutions the following guidance for inclement winter weather conditions:
- Athletics department personnel must recognize that decisions affecting the broader institutional community also apply to them. Serious consideration should be given to the appropriateness of requiring student-athletes, coaches, and support staff to come to campus when the campus is otherwise closed and classes canceled. Local traffic authorities should be consulted about the safety of local roadways.
- Decisions about continued athletics activity should be centrally made, preferably by the athletics director or his/her designee. Coaches should not make such decisions for their own sports in isolation and independent of athletics administrators. Decisions should be made with the ultimate goal of protecting the well-being and safety of all athletics personnel and student- athletes. A full accounting of the disparate impact of inclement weather on athletics personnel and participating student-athletes should be made as part of the decision-making process.
- When a decision is made to open athletic or recreational facilities and to conduct athletics activities, standardized steps should be taken to ensure the safe access to those facilities and those parts of campus in which the activities will take place.
- Athletics personnel who determine that their personal safety might be jeopardized by commuting to campus in inclement and/or hazardous weather should be excused from all responsibilities without fear of reprisal or punishment, and reasonable accommodations for their absence should be made.”
Inclement Weather Policies & Protocol: In order to ensure the health and safety of student-athletes, coaches, staff, and spectators, the University of Massachusetts Boston Sports Medicine Department adopts as its policies the guidelines for Cold Stress and Exposure, Heat Stress and Exposure, and Lightning Policies as outlined in the NCAA Sports Medicine Handbook (guideline 2B, revised June 2009).
The following policies will be used to determine whether it is safe for student-athletes to compete outside in various degrees of weather. This policy will be enforced during competitions hosted by University of Massachusetts Boston Athletics. These guidelines will be used in conjunction with conference regulations regarding weather policies. The senior on-site Certified Athletic Trainer is responsible for monitoring the temperature, weather, and playing conditions for all varsity athletic teams and has final authority for all decisions and determinations regarding practice postponement, cancellation, or curtailment. All NCAA guidelines are to be used in determining the final decision maker during athletic competitions.
The following policies are divided into guidelines for “Active” sports and “Limited Activity” outdoor sports:
COLD WEATHER POLICY
The concern for student-athletes that participate in Limited Activity sports is the student-athlete will be exposed to wind and cold temperatures during long periods of inactivity. During these times, student athletes may have difficulty maintaining proper body temperature due to exposure and lack of metabolic activity, thus, additional considerations are to be made to protect those student-athletes.
All temperatures indicated below represent the Wind Chill Temperature. The effects of the wind are to be considered. Ideally, the on-field conditions are to be used to determine participation status.
Furthermore, whenever possible, indoor warming facilities are to be made available to participants and spectators. When indoor warming facilities are not available, postponement is required at the previous step. The Sports Medicine staff will refer to The Weather Channel.com website when determining wind chill (“real feel”) temperature.
The following conditions are examples of serious cold stress conditions:
? Wind chill can make activity uncomfortable and can impair muscle performance when muscle temperature declines.
? Frostbite- freezing of tissues because of exposure to a cold and dry environment. Usually affecting the fingers, toes, ears and face.
? Hypothermia- significant drop in body temperature as heat loss exceeds heat production. The failure to maintain core temp results in a medical emergency
Active Sports:
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21-32 degrees F- Required skin coverage for all athletes (gloves, hats, long sleeves, pants). Monitor for cold weather injuries and have facilities available for rewarming if needed.
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12-20 degrees F- Modify activity to limit exposure. Required skin coverage as described above. Mandatory indoor rewarming must be made available. For timed events, allow indoor rewarming for no less than 15 minutes following on field warmups and during halftime. For non-timed events, allow indoor rewarming for no less than 15 minutes during the first stoppage of play after 45 minutes of activity. If no indoor rewarming facilities are available, activities are to be postponed.
WARM WEATHER POLICY
All temperatures listed below will follow the heat index (“real feel”) temperature.
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80-85 degrees F- Provide ample water and multiple water breaks during practice. Monitor athletes for heat illness. Consider reducing the amount of time for the practice session. For competition, required water breaks will be every 20 minutes.
86-90 degrees F- Provide ample water and multiple water breaks during practice. Monitor athletes for heat illness. No practices during peak heat hours (noon-4pm). Reduce amount of practice time and 1 hour of recovery time for every hour of practice is required. For competition, required water breaks will be every 10 minutes and a minimum of 10 minutes of recovery time is needed at halftime.
91-95 degrees F- Provide ample water and multiple water breaks during practice. Monitor athletes for heat illness. No practices during peak heat hours (noon-4pm). Reduce amount of practice time and 1 hour of recovery time for every hour of practice is required. Lightweight and loose-fitting clothes should be worn. For competition, required water breaks will be every 10 minutes and a minimum of 15 minutes of recovery time is needed at halftime,
>95 degrees F- No outside activity or contest should be held. Inside activity should only be held if it is in an air-conditioned area
LIGHTNING POLICY
If lightning is observed and the associated thunder is heard within 30 seconds, or the leading edge of the storm is within six miles of the venue, all individuals should be moved indoors, or to the safest available location(s):
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Safe Structures- any building with plumbing and/or electrical wiring
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In the absence of a sturdy, frequently inhabited building, and vehicle with a hard metal roof with windows shut (team bus, cars, etc.)
If it is necessary to evacuate the venue during an athletic competition, the Certified Athletic Trainer and facilities manager should do so allowing for enough time to move the crowd and all associated to safe locations in an orderly and safe manner.
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The Certified Athletic Trainer and facilities manager are responsible for clearing all spectators from the venue and must make every reasonable attempt to do so, while also considering their own safety
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If the event has not started, it is the responsibility of the Certified Athletic Trainer and facilities manager to clear the venue
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During competition and per NCAA rules, the game officials, in conjunction with the Certified Athletic Trainer and facilities manager, are responsible for stopping the game
Activities will resume after a minimum of 30 minutes after both the last sound of thunder and last flash of lightning. The storm must be at least 6 miles away. The 30 minutes will restart for every flash or bang.
