There is a fine line....

With the temperatures in the tristate flurting with triple digits and going past it when the heat index is included, one has to wonder if preseason practices and conditioning should be cancelled.

The raging debate is whether or not schools and organizations should be made to cancel practice or conditioning for the safety of children from grades 1 through 12. As an athlete one might consider this a sign of weakness not to "gut it out". However more and more children are suffering from heat exhaustion, dehydration and even stroke. In some rare cases even death.

The other side of the coin would be to do what a group of parents in Arizona are trying to have put on the books and that is when a day reaches an outside temperature that all a canopy or tent has to be erected for the kids to play under. According to the group, any child forced to play in direct sunlight on a day hotter than 75 is a form of child abuse. They are very serious about it and are trying to make it mandatory that every grade school and elementary school implement the rule.

Just something to think about.

St. X hits BIG TIME with game on ESPN

The St. Xavier-DeMatha (Md.) high school football game will be televised nationally on ESPN on Sunday, Sept. 2, at noon, an ESPN spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

The game, at the University of Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium, is the marquee attraction of the Burger King Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge. St. Xavier is No. 1 and DeMatha No. 3 in the preseason PrepNation.com poll. The USA Today poll comes out Aug. 23.

"We are planning to televise the (St. Xavier) game," ESPN spokeswoman Tilea Coleman said. "We are just working out final details."

St. Xavier will be the first Cincinnati-area high school football team to play on the main ESPN network. Colerain played on ESPNU in September 2005, beating Tyler (Texas) Lee 27-12 in the inaugural Herbstreit event.

"What a neat opportunity for a high school kid, to play on live TV on ESPN," St. Xavier coach Steve Specht said. "From an educational standpoint, it's something they're going to remember the rest of their lives."

MND's Adams doing well at nationals

Mount Notre Dame senior volleyball player Rachael Adams has been doing well as a member of the U.S. Girls' Youth National Team, which is playing in Mexico this summer.

Last Thursday, Adams, who led MND to the Division I state title last fall, had 14 points on five kills and a team-high six blocks and three aces at middle blocker.

However, the U.S. lost to China 3-1 at the 2007 FIVB Girls' Youth World Championship in Mexicali, Mexico. After that match, the U.S. was 1-2.

Adams will be with the Cougars when she returns to the U.S.

Today was the first day high school volleyball teams could officially start practice.