Pre-Competition Hydration Status of High School Athletes Participating in Different Sports

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Billions of dollars are spent annually on sports drinks by High School (HS) athletes attempting to enhance performance without perhaps a realistic understanding of hydration or energy requirements for their activity. Many athletic performances can be compromised with as little as a 1% rapid weight loss through dehydration. Minor decreases in body water can lead to significant decreases in blood plasma volume which in turn may hinder performance through a decrease in blood flow to the working muscle. Because of this, it is critical to properly educate teenage athletes on fluid consumption. PURPOSE: To test the hydration status of a sample of HS athletes from three different sports just prior to a competition to help determine if these athletes adhere to the common recommendations for staying hydrated. METHODS: Three groups of HS age male athletes (N=35; football, n=11; soccer, n=12; alpine skiing n=12) volunteered to participate by providing a pre-competition urine sample. Football and soccer athletes provided samples one hour prior to a home game and the alpine skiers provided a sample one hour prior to a fitness assessment used in their regional team selection process. Urine osmolarity was obtained using the Advanced Micro-Osmometer Model 3MO. Athletes with urine osmolarities greater than 800 mOsm were considered dehydrated. RESULTS: Average urine osmolarity of football, soccer, and alpine skiers of 554, 622, and 936 mOsm, respectively, were significantly different (p=0.004). Post-hoc tests revealed only alpine skiers as a group was dehydrated compared football and soccer athletes who were not different from one another. Of additional interest 11 of 12 alpine skiers and a total of 16 of the 35 athletes tested were classified as "dehydrated". CONCLUSIONS: Since no measures of performance were attempted, even speculation as to the impact hydration status had on these athletes during competition would be ill advised. What is certain is that despite recommendations from coaches and the perceived popularity of sports drinks, most alpine skiing athletes and several other fall sport athletes still come into competition dehydrated. This would suggest HS athletes need better education on the importance of proper hydration prior to competition to ensure hydration is not a factor negatively affecting their performance.