Panthers Fight Extreme Heat At Training Camp

[gtxvideo vid=”wiJPKTYG” playlist=”” pid=”Bbt3TRDe” thumb=”http://player.gtxcel.com/thumbs/wiJPKTYG.jpg” vtitle=”training camp heat”]

SPARTANBURG, SC — We are nine days from the Panthers first preseason game.  You can see Carolina take on Buffalo right here on WCCB Charlotte, your official television home of the Panthers.

The heat is on at training camp.  After a day off to rest and recover, the Panthers returned to the practice field, ready to go.

“I thought there were some really good things, early on in practice,” said head coach Ron Rivera.  “I thought the tempo was much better at the beginning of practice. As we got later into practice, it was a little disappointing by my standard.”

The team’s tempo dropped as the heat index rose to 101 degrees: a cool day in Spartanburg, compared to Monday’s scorcher.

“We lucked out a little bit today,” said head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion.  “It was humid today, but the sun wasn’t out.  109 has been our highest that we’ve had so far.”

The Panthers depend on head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion to balance the fine line of getting the team in football shape, while avoiding dehydration.

“Because you have to push the guys.  It’s training camp,” says Vermillion.  “You want to push, you want to prepare them for the year.  But you need to do it safely.  We blow the horn.  We take 5,6, 7 minutes to take a break, take everybody’s hat off, make sure they’re getting water.  Blow the horn, get back to practice.”

After Thursday morning’s practice, it’s home sweet home to Charlotte.  The Panthers will hit the field at Bank Of America Stadium on Friday night.  Fan Fest is set to begin just after 7pm.