New smartphone app is designed to keep athletes safe during heat

10:27 PM, Jun 27, 2012   |    comments
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We all know it's going to be a scorcher over the next several days, but will it be too hot for the kids to play outside?

Now, there's an app for that.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center has launched a new app it says is the ultimate resource for coaches.

Coach Smart puts an athletic trainer, a personal assistant and a meteorologist in the palm of your hand.

It offers real-time information on the temperature and the heat index. It also sends out important alerts designed to keep athletes and students safe.

"It automatically calculates the heat index for you. It automatically links into the TSSAA guidelines, so it alerts you when you should move practice indoors, when you should cut down on practice, and when you should increase water breaks," said Dr. Alex Diamond with Vanderbilt Sports Medicine.

The app also provides information on lightning strikes in the vicinity.

Coach Smart is free for iPhone and Android.