INDIANAPOLIS — As feels-like temperatures pass 100 degrees across the Hoosier state this week, coaches are making sure to take extra precautions to keep athletes safe.

”It’s a huge issue across the country and one we pay particular interest to,” said Robert Faulkens, the Assistant Commissioner of the Indiana High School Athletic Association.

As many sports have started their fall seasons over the past few weeks, Faulkens said it’s important for coaches to help athletes acclimate to these temperatures.

”We want to get kids and athletes prepared to compete in extreme conditions,” Faulkens said. “We don’t want them to compete in extreme conditions, but they can.”

Faulkens said they’re also asking coaches to get creative with how much and when they practice.

”We’ll go inside, we’ll practice later, we’ll practice earlier in the morning,” he said.

IHSAA also works with coaches on amount of times they practice and making sure they aren’t exposing kids to dangerous heat for too long.

Faulkens said schools can even make changes prior and during games or meets.

”We may delay the start of the game for an hour until the temperature cools,” Faulkens said. “We can have forced timeouts during the period where we stop the game, get kids water, make them take off their protective equipment.”

Several schools have postponed or moved practices for competition.

MSD of Lawrence Township schools have athletic trainers monitor outside conditions to ensure it’s safe for student-athletes to compete. Some sports for Thursday afternoon have been moved.

”What we don’t want to have happen is endangering of our athletes because we’ve not taken the precautions that we know of that will prevent exertional heat stroke,” Faulkens said.

Changes to start times or postponing practices or games would be up to each school system.