In 95-degree heat, New Mexico prep athletes hang tough behind masks

The Santa Fe New Mexican ^ | June 10, 2021 | Bill Webber

[CedarDave]

ALBUQUERQUE — With Thursday’s temperatures creeping into the high 90s and humidity levels hovering at 4 percent by midafternoon, New Mexico Activities Association administrator Scott Owen pulled out his smartphone, punched in a few numbers and said, “Eighty-eight degrees.”

“That’s good, 88 degrees — I don’t think so,” said Evan Bloodworth, a junior at St. Michael’s and one of nearly 200 high school players on hand for Thursday’s opening rounds of the 2021 state tennis championships. “Whatever thermometer they’re using, it’s at least 100 on the courts.”

If Thursday’s sweltering heat during the tournament proved anything, it’s that it really didn’t have much of an impact on the kids. Not a single player defaulted on a match; not a single entrant collapsed from dehydration; not a single one spent time on a padded massage table in the shade overlooking Academy’s 16 courts.

... Delayed a month from its usual mid-May time slot thanks to the lingering impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the four extra weeks pushed the statewide event back into the dangerous heat of mid-June — a time made worse this year by wildfires in southeast Arizona ...

Ah, masks.

According to Public Education Department spokeswoman Judy Gibbs Robinson, an agreement between the NMAA and the Governor’s Office says anyone affiliated with youth sports must adhere to COVID-19-safe guidelines that no longer apply to the general public. Student-athletes in all sports have been required to wear face coverings at practice and in competition, as are any fans who attend NMAA events.

Those guidelines will remain in place through the end of the spring sports season on June 26.

McDermott said the biggest challenge to wearing a mask is the simple act of keeping it over the nose and mouth.

“This heat makes it even harder to breathe, ...”

[tflabo]

Catching an airborne virus outdoors in warm to hot temperatures is highly unlikely. Some freedoms these mask tyrants are squashing with utter insanity.

[The_Media_never_lie]

The real problems I’ve had with the mask insanity, is the inconsistency. For instants in my area, I had to drive 30 minutes to find a tennis court in a small town that was not chain locked closed. however golf courses remained open! In other words golf had a more influential lobby than tennis.