Growing up, one of my favorite sports to play was volleyball.
- I competed on a team in high school and loved opportunities to play with friends in college as well.
I was so excited this summer to be able to play with a group of friends one day. What I did not realize, though, was moving to a warmer climate meant adjusting to playing outside in very high heat. When I removed my smartwatch to play, I believe the temperature was 95 degrees. I gave it my all while I was playing. I was diving on the ground like I hadn’t since I was much younger. The team I was on won every set, and I felt like I was in my prime of volleyball play again. I did not realize just how hot I was getting until I started to feel dizzy. I quickly found my water bottle, but I knew I needed some way to cool myself down more than just with water. I was definitely over-heated, and I was competing more than I should have been for a scrimmage with some friends. Luckily, I ran inside to my friend’s house, and almost immediately felt better sitting in the air conditioning. I did not realize until I sat down, just how heated my body was, and how much I was sweating. The air conditioner felt so nice, and my body felt so much better getting the air conditioning and supplementing with water. I am so glad that I had the option to obtain air conditioning and did not wait too long to come inside. Things could have been much worse had I not had the option of air conditioning in the moment I was overheated.