SoCal heat wave forcing youth sports teams to cancel or shift game times, move locations

Friday, September 6, 2024
SoCal heat wave forcing youth sports teams to cancel or change games
The sweltering heat wave across Southern California is forcing some youth sports teams to shift game times and locations or even cancel events altogether for the safety of the athletes.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The sweltering heat wave across Southern California is forcing some youth sports teams to shift game times and locations or even cancel events altogether for the safety of the athletes.

The American Youth Soccer Organization Region 2 canceled all soccer activities until Sunday, Sept. 8.

The varsity game between Granada Hills Charter High School and Palisades Charter High School was supposed to take place in Granada Hills on Friday. The event was moved to Pacific Palisades, which is expected to be somewhat cooler, and the start time was pushed back. Similar changes were made to Thursday afternoon's JV game.

School officials say they're doing what they can to keep the athletes safe.

"We're still taking precautions. It's a running clock, we're not going to longer than two hours. Every 6 minutes or so, we're stopping the game and having hydration breaks," said Rocky Montz, athletic director with Palisades Charter High School.

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Other local schools have moved their Friday games to Saturday morning to try and beat the heat.

Meantime, if you're heading to the Dodgers game Friday, evening temps won't offer that much relief.

The peak of the heat near Dodger Stadium will hit around 2 - 3 p.m. with temps around 103 degrees.

When people start leaving work at 5 p.m. and head to the game, temps will be at around 99 degrees.

The game begins at 7:10 p.m. right as the sun sets. Temps will dip, but it'll still be hot in the lower 90s.