US Rowing

Brenna Morley working hard after the flooding of the Mississippi took place.

Recent weather and extreme heat and humidity have affected sports both professionally and in school as well.

It was recorded the past four years in the United States have been the hottest and many cities around the country, including cities in the Midwest, have been experiencing extreme heat and humidity during the summer and early fall. This is dangerous to anyone participating in an outdoor sport.

Many professional sporting events ended up being canceled this past summer due to the weather. One example is the New York Triathlon. The temperature was too high for people to participate in the event and the heatwave would have put people at risk. 

Along with well-known sporting events like the New York Triathlon, climate change has been impacting sports at Pleasant Valley as well.

The heat can also limit the students’ practices and may affect their ability to succeed or meet their goals. Riya Bhandarkar has been a part of cross country since she was a freshman and she said that they’ve had to adjust workouts this year because of the heat. “The heat has affected my performance in a negative way because I am constantly thinking about the heat and focusing less on my runs,” she said. 

Along with the heat, rain and flooding can affect sports such as rowing. Although the flooding of the Mississippi was back in May, it continues to affect Brenna Morley’s practices. “Normally we are able to start rowing outside on the water in March, but this year we couldn’t until almost May,” she said. The flood limited their time to prepare for their first regatta by several weeks.

Morley was off the waters for two months, adding pressure to the rowers due to the unexpected time crunch. The unpredictability of the weather continuously affects their practices. “This made us really concentrate and make the most of each practice since we had a limited time,” she said. They take each practice very seriously because the weather is always unpredictable and rain could always affect their practices.

The Pleasant Valley School District is well-known for its achievements in athletics, but factors such as climate change are affecting Pleasant Valley, along with other schools and professional sports, from performing to the best of their ability.