MERIDIAN, Idaho — "It's definitely been more of a struggle this year than it was last year and with the smoke, we have cut back so many miles," said Owyhee Cross Country athlete Millie McAdams. She says this summer's smoke has affected how her team trains.
Team captain Faith Johnson agrees, saying she typically tries to train about 5 to 6 miles every day, but some practices were canceled due to poor air quality.
"With the smoke and the heat combined, it was probably one of the worst, because with the smoke we had to be inside some days. I did not like that, it makes things more complicated. Where normally we just have to deal with the heat," said Johnson.
That heat is sticking around for the start of the school year as fall sports like football, girl's soccer, cheerleading, and cross country… head into their competitive season.
"Now that school's going to be back in, we'll be practicing in the afternoon again, we have to think about what's going to be best for our athletes when it's 90 [degrees] plus," said Varsity Coach, Alan Perry.
He tells me they'll put an emphasis on hydration and longer breaks, "so some extended water breaks, having the water hoses going the whole time there at practice,"
"Our coaches are strategically going to place water breaks, and just taking breaks, and we're going to go take those kids to the next level of conditioning," said Jason Warr, activities director for West Ada School District.
District staff are confident that coaches and trainers will continue working to keep students safe in the late summer heat.
"Just the awareness if it gets too hot, do we need to move to grass because it's cooler than turf, do we need to adapt our practices to those heat situations," said Warr.
Despite the seasonal challenges, the new school year and competitive season bring new opportunities for students like Senior Carter Burdick.
"I am looking forward to getting a PR, finishing off strong. Hopefully talking to some college coaches, taking it to the next level," said Burdick.
