Outdoor sports continue as extreme heat hits KC; how athletes are preparing

KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail.

The big story in late July, of course is the extreme temperatures. Despite the heat a tennis tournament still went on as planned.

The Plaza Tennis Center was packed with athletes for the Impact Team Tennis Regional Championship.

The tournament which is going from July 24-26 brought athletes from around the region to KC. With heat indexes well over 100 degrees, the athletes prepared in advance to make sure they were ready to perform at their best.

"Especially with tennis in the summer, you kind of expect it to be a few hot days with it being end of July. You kind of have to mentally prepare yourself, and that's when tennis gets really fun because it's such a mental battle. The mental is beating the heat," Evan Bail said.

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She was competing at the tournament. This team competition is a little different than other tennis events. Teams can sub in players during games. This allows for the players to recover before going back in.

"We've really had to think about that and strategize on how to use the heat to our advantage and then also use fresh legs to our advantage as well," Bail said.

Brandon Edstrom didn’t hesitate to serve up an ice-cold towel the moment his daughter stepped off the court.

"My daughter's playing here and I'm just trying to get her, keep her as cool as possible," said Edstrom. "Just putting really ice cold, you know, water on your neck really helps a lot with keeping you cool."

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He said the heat was brutal but they were prepared for that. His daughter had a long tournament day playing her first match around 8 a.m. and ending around 3 p.m.

"I think my phone said it's a 108 or 109 heat index," said Edstrom.

Many players aced the challenge of preparation.

"Electrolytes the past 48 hours, getting my carbs in to making sure I stay fueled, and then this morning's pre-workout and all that good stuff to make sure I'm nice and hydrated," Bail said.

She said she wouldn't have missed the tournament, saying it's what she's worked for.

"I love tennis and it's fun sometimes you feel a little delirious while you're out there, but it's ok," said Bail.

While there the athletes drank several full bottles of water, took A/C breaks and found shaded spots.

The tournament officials also made sure there was plenty of ways the players and spectators could cool off.