EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. — On yet another day of temperatures where it feels like more than 100 degrees in St. Louis, Jackie Joyner-Kersee cheered on kids as they raced 100 yards in East St. Louis.
It was part of Citywide Field Day for camps the city at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Center.
"To me, it's more about bringing the city and young people together in a way to have fun," Joyner-Kersee said.
Hundreds of kids were there for the event. Joyner-Kersee spent lots of time by the 100-meter dash, as kids asked her if she could watch.
She'd give them some pointers, too.
Even though the three-time gold medalist wasn't running, she said with temperatures like Friday, she has to be careful.
She has asthma, and this weather can actually trigger asthma symptoms, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.
So Joyner-Kersee said she has to be focused on taking care of herself.
"I have to stay hydrated myself. I have to be a living example of it to make sure I'm drinking lots of water," she said.
She said she looks to find shade and the tents for breathers.
There were plenty of cooling stations and water. Some of the Field Day activities were taken inside the center on Friday because of the weather.
"Telling them about hydration. Drinking lots of water. Not to overdo it," she said.
Joyner-Kersee said she has dealt with the heat for a long time. She said these were the temperatures she trained in.
"A lot of times I just never knew what the conditions were going to be when I went to a competition," she said.
She mentioned training for the 1988 Summer Olympics, which was in South Korea.
"We came here, trained a little bit," she said about coming to St. Louis then.
She said the key then is the same as it is now: don't overdo it and stay hydrated.
"Anything can happen," said Michael Roth, the athletic director for Parkway Schools.
This week, the St. Charles County Ambulance District responded to a high school sports practice, where someone was having a heat-related issue. The district could not elaborate where the incident happened or other details about it.
Roth said the key is using common sense and being proactive.
This morning, the cross country team practiced. Roth said it was early in the morning.
"We're not coming in at (3 p.m. or 4 p.m.) when it's 105 degrees. We're not doing that," he said.
Many of Parkway Schools' teams are not practicing yet, but in the coming weeks, that will change.
He said all teams have certified trainers from Mercy Sports Medicine at each practice. They have devices that monitor and measure the temperature, the humidity, the heat index and the wind.
There are levels where teams will not practice at all or where they make adjustments for the health of the players and the coaches.