Show-Me State Games on weather delay after Saturday storms
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Show-Me State Games are on a weather delay after strong storms in Mid-Missouri Saturday afternoon.
Some soccer games were pushed back to starting at 5:45 p.m. 6 p.m. and at 7 p.m. Softball resumed at 5 p.m. Shooting bunker was rescheduled to Sunday, and baseball is canceled for the day. The show me state games said on Facebook it's working to rescheduled baseball.
This morning before the storms, organizers were watching out for extreme heat.
The Show Me State Games and the Mid-America Open hosted by Disc Golf Pro Tour are both finishing up their weekend sporting events beginning Saturday.
However, due to the expected hot temperatures, organizers have been encouraging everyone to stay hydrated as they attend the weekend events. Organizers have put measures in place to combat help combat the heat.
The tournament director for the Mid-America Open, Joseph Douglass told ABC 17 News that because they are expecting a large crowd, they will have coolers filled with water bottles placed along the course that are free to everyone.
Organizers of the Mid-America Open say as the weekend goes on, they are going to work on their communication with spectators because most aren't aware that the waters are free.
"The number one thing that we're gonna change is communication. So we have a lot of water out there and we're keeping an eye on the people that are here spectating, and a lot of times people just don't expect or know that there's free water out there," Douglass said. "So we just have to tell people sometimes, hey like you need a drink, come get one like these are free. They're out here for you and it's a safety and health concern."
The Show Me State Games have provided heat safety tips on its website from MU Healthcare for people to review, Along with ensuring there is medical staff at events where heat is a concern.
According to MU Health care, some ways to prevent heat-related illness include:
- Drinking a lot of fluids.
- Wear lightweight clothing.
- Use sunglasses and use an umbrella to block the sun.
- Take frequent drink breaks.
- Mist yourself with a spray bottle
Mu Health also notes that some signs of dehydration can include: thirst, light-headedness, and dizziness.
Executive Director of the Show Me State Games, James Fox told ABC 17 that in addition to the protocols that are in place, they have also staggered their game times, and started some games with mandatory water breaks.
"So when I talk about game adjustments, we don't necessarily play some of our games on the hour," Fox said. "So we're kind of staggering them, which allows our officials some additional time to get out of the heat."
The Disc Golf Pro Tour's first tee time for the Women's Pro Open was scheduled for 8:10 am. Saturday, with Columbia local Cynthia Ricciotti who tee'd off at 9:35 am.
The first tee time for the Mixed Pro Open was scheduled for 10:30 am., with Columbia local Jake Hebenheimer who tee'd off at 2:18 pm.
The Show Me State Games events took place in multiple locations. Starting at 8:00 am, baseball took place at Antimi and Atkins baseball fields.
