Went to watch a dear family friend try out for the Bucs. It was unbearable to stand there in the heat. It made you think what those players went through with pads. I noticed the freedom of players to grab a water bottle when waiting in a line. Goups rotating to the water station for mandatory water intake and a deep chilled cooling tent for team breaks and short intermission meetings.
In Minnesota it can be devieving how much body fluid you are using. Many players use dierutics to increase water loss to lose weight, which can be dangerous when working out. I believe I heard Cory was doing this and it is exactly what I think the Williams were doing with the Starcaps fiasco.
Not blaming Cory in any sense, lots of athletes at all levels do this for making weigh limits. But, a warm summer day in Minny with low humidity , doesn’t feel that bad to some players. With little realization they are losing fluids and making themselves ill in the process.

Bu tI gotta tell ya. We were fishing in Minny many years back. All was well, warmer than usual and I was feeling sick on the way home. Tuning into the new we discovered it hit 102 that day-In Minnesota!. Why I didn’t feel it to be that hot .I have no idea. Way different than here in Florida. You can step out and guess the temp within a couple degreees.
Humidity? Cooler mornings in Minn that sneak up on you when it gets hot?
All the same it was a very sad day and Cory was a great loss. Maybe others will not suffer the same fate from lessons learned.

it is still seen as weekness by the coaches if any player asks for water. I don’t understand why it is that way but I know that it is<\blockquote>

i’m an old school guy and i think i can explain this. prior to the 90’s it was perceived by coaches and trainers that water would make you cramp (which it will if you drink a lot at once on an empty stomach during practice). when i played in school we had one water break during each practice and that was it. a lot of guys would use the ‘going to the bathroom’ or ‘getting a drink’ excuse to get out of suicides or whatever. the coaches knew this and knew from their time playing in the 50’s and 60’s that this was a ruse used then as well. if you were a starter or trying to win a spot you didn’t go to the bathroom or get a drink during practice. this showed the coach how tough and committed you were.

these ideas have been disproven but it still takes time for these things to fade away. thinking back to my playing days i can see where some coach might say ‘what? you need another drink?’ it was just ingrained in these guys. i’m advocating not hydrating properly, just trying to explain where this mentality comes from to those who never experienced it.