Lightning delays wreak havoc on sporting events
It looked like a typical late-summer Saturday afternoon at North Fort Myers Community Park. People lined up at the concession stand and kids were throwing footballs on the field of the Red Knights Pop Warner football team.
The problem was the kids throwing the footballs on the field weren’t in uniform.
A lightning delay shortly after the start of the Junior Pee-Wee game brought things to a halt. Three hours later, despite very little rain and little or no hint of thunder, players, coaches and parents were still waiting, lighting still on the periphery.
Eventually, the Junior Pee-Wee game was rescheduled to Monday.
Meanwhile, at North Fort Myers High School, the Kickoff Classic was cancelled and its season opener against Braden River delayed more than 90 minutes by lightning, even though not a drop of rain fell and the lightning appeared to be in the far distance. This past Friday, the game started on time, but even that was hectic.
It has become standard operating procedure throughout much of Southwest Florida, where Parks and Recreation departments have instituted protocols that stop games and practices when lightning comes within 10 miles of the site.
And while coaches, parents and players understand the need to keep people safe after the death of a Fort Myers boy nearly two years ago, the alarm system has made playing and practicing a difficult proposition under current safety guidelines.
Jesse Watlington, 11, was struck by a bolt of lightning on his way to football practice at Southwest Florida Christian Academy in October 2012. He died days later at Tampa General Hospital.
In response, parks and high schools throughout the area installed lightning detection systems.
When there’s lightning in the area, a single 15-second alarm goes off, telling everyone to seek shelter for at least 30 minutes. If no more lightning is detected, three short alarm blasts tell people it’s safe to return. Any lightning strike before 30 minutes elapse rests the clock.
Understandable, many say. However, others say, perhaps, the safety pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.
For the North Fort Myers Pop Warner Football Association, coaches said the system has wiped out nearly half its practice time and forced games to be postponed or played past midnight in some instances.
And since rainy season typically doesn’t end for almost another month, that means North, and most other Peace River Conference teams, will have to face this dilemma for the rest of the regular season.
North president Charles Hardwick said he understands the caution and safety aspect, but that the system is a kneejerk reaction to a tragedy.
“We could have gotten most of these games in today with a handheld device and be perfectly safe on the field, to be honest,” Hardwick said, in reference to the old way they tracked lightning.
Earnest Graham, head football coach at North Fort Myers High School, echoes those sentiments, adding that it also affects the quality of play and player morale.
“It’s tough to get in practices and, when you’re constantly delayed, kids sit for hours wondering if the game will be postponed, so a lot comes into play that can affect the quality of what you do,” Graham said.
The cancellation of the Kickoff Classic deprived the Red Knights of the tune-up game the needed to get the kinks out, Graham said.
As far as solutions go, such as moving the schedule back a couple weeks and scheduling more games during less rainy times of the day, Hardwick said that would be difficult.
“We go from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. I don’t see how we can get everyone out earlier. We can play on two fields, but not everyone has that luxury,” Hardwick said, adding he would like to talk to Parks and Recreation to see if they could make North’s system not as sensitive.
Landon Ford, 11, a Pee-Wee football player, expressed his frustration with the lack of time on the field.
“It’s been cutting into practice. We’re not getting the plays in. I think it protects us from the lightning, butI don’t know,” Ford said, his voice trailing off.
Parent Michelle Jennings is an advocate of the lightning detection system, saying you can never be too safe.
“I think it’s good. After that incident with the boy, it’s a good thing. It may be a bummer that we can’t play, but everybody gets to go home with their family,” Jennings said.
Lightning distances vary. Sarasota has an eight-mile rule, as does the corporate offices at Pop Warner.
North Fort Myers had an eight-mile rule until this year.