Razorback basketball coach Mike Anderson urges coaches to address hydration issues

Mike Anderson, head basketball coach for the University of Arkansas, said college coaches get a lot of recognition for star players, but the real work comes from their high school and junior high coaches and how they prepare players to play at the university level.

Anderson addressed 350 high school and junior high coaches at the Kendrick Fincher Hydration For Life (KFHFL) Foundations’ Beat the Heat Luncheon held during the Mercy Northwest Coaches Clinic at the John Q. Hammons’ Convention Center in Rogers on Thursday (July 28).

Anderson said coaches owe it to their players to find out as much about hydration as possible and heat illness prevention and then to implement it in their schools. He said that part of that was to have a trainer on their team and to have an emergency plan established to address heat illness.

“My message to you is ‘we all have our part to do,’” Anderson said. “You touch a lot of kids’ lives, you’re making a difference and I think with the Fincher Foundation, you’re saving some lives.”

In addition to Anderson, KFHFL board member Brendon McDermott with the Human Performance Lab at the University of Arkansas, shared the latest heat and hydration research at the university. He told the coaches of a method to treat heat illness that they can use, even if they don’t have access to a cold tub in which to put the affected person.   McDermott calls the method “the human taco.” He said coaches can buy an inexpensive tarp at Walmart, pull up the sides, fill it with ice water and put the legs of the affected person into it.

“Even if you only cool the lower extremities in ice-cold water, this can treat it and save somebody if they had an exertional heat stroke,” he said.

During the lunch Rhonda Fincher, founder and executive director of KFHFL, shared via video the story of her son Kendrick Fincher, who died at age 13 from heat stroke after his first football practice in August of 1995. The mission of KFHFL is to promote proper hydration and prevent heat illness through education and supporting activities.

As part of the event, KFHFL board chair, Heather Foitek and other board members celebrated the 20th anniversary of the organization by surprising Fincher with flowers, a tribute to her work for the organization and a slide show of family pictures.

At the conclusion of the lunch, five area coaches received Hydration Hero awards for “their outstanding effort to educate and carry through with excellent procedures for hydration education and heat illness prevention.” The awards, presented by Orlo and Mary Stitt of The Stitt Group, went to Tom Williams of the Rogers Heritage War Eagles, Preston Early of the Rogers Mounties, Jason Porter of the Decatur Bull Dogs, Heather Wade of the Pea Ridge Blackhawks, Kris Henry of the Bentonville Tigers, Jordan Larkan of the Greenland Pirates and Michelle Fyfe of the Fayetteville Bulldogs.

Awards included a plaque, a cash award of $100 to each school to pay for hydration equipment and education and a $50 gift card to an area restaurant for each winner.

Sponsors of the event were Mercy Clinic Northwest, Del Monte Foods, Gatorade, McGhee Insurance, Harvest Roofing Cherokee Casinos and Professional Business Systems.