Heat study brings Pride of Oklahoma and OU meteorology together for students

A Wet Bulb Globe Temperature meter (left) captures factors that impact body temperature on the Pride's practice field.

University Meteorologist Kevin Kloesel records the temperature in the Pride's seating section two hours before the 2019 OU vs. South Dakota game.

After years of watching The Pride of Oklahoma Marching Band members battle “soul-crushing heat” during rehearsals and performances, band director Brian Britt knew there had to be a better way to monitor the effects of weather on his performers.

“I wanted to make sure we were doing everything we could to take care of our students and ensure their safety,” said Britt, who also serves as the University of Oklahoma’s Gene Braught Chair in Music.

Britt approached University Meteorologist Kevin Kloesel and a research partnership was born that is supported in part by gifts to the OU Foundation.

“We started putting OU’s excellence in the marching and performing arts together with the university’s excellence in meteorology and using the science to keep our students safe,” said Kloesel, who is director of the OU-based Oklahoma Climatological Survey.

Kloesel tasked meteorology students who were Pride members with comparing weather data against students experiencing heat-related symptoms, like an inability to rehearse or requiring medical attention during football games. For instance, 15 Pride members became overheated during the 2018 OU vs. Florida Atlantic University game.

“Research shows that the athletic load required in the marching arts is nearly identical to that of football players,” Kloesel said.

He knew numbers on a thermometer didn’t tell the whole story. “Everyone is familiar with the heat index, but we needed a metric more useful for a band director to ensure a safe environment in oppressive conditions.”

That metric, Kloesel said, is known as Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, or WBGT.

“WBGT combines all the factors that impact body temperature, including actual temperature, humidity, wind and the amount of sun you’re exposed to,” he said. “It’s a much more realistic estimate of the heat load on a performer.”

Britt and Kloesel’s research became a written guide with new protocols used by Pride members.

“During our two-hour rehearsal, we’re never in direct sunlight for more than 20 minutes at a time,” Britt said. “We educate students on the importance of heat prevention through clothing and hydration. Everyone has a water jug with them at rehearsal; if they don’t, we send them home.”

He and Kloesel visit by text each day and make decisions about weather safety before rehearsal. Once on the practice field, student researchers use a meter that provides an immediate WBGT reading.

The meter was purchased using funds from the Gene Braught Chair, which was established with a $500,000 gift to the OU Foundation from the Braught family and the McCasland Foundation in honor of the late director of University Bands.

Braught funding also has allowed Britt to hire consultants on a variety of subjects. “Performance and student health are directly impacted by our ability to connect with the best minds across the nation to ensure that our students are always safe and equipped to perform at their best level,” he said.

Britt said his and Kloesel’s partnership has had measurable outcomes. “We didn’t have a single case of heat-related illness during this year’s summer camp due to the mitigation steps that we now take proactively, which have grown out of our research.”

Their collaboration also has spurred studies with two other universities and the national performance group Drum Corps International. Kloesel added that OU students are gathering data for the projects.

“The goal is to put this data into the hands of coaches and band directors across Oklahoma,” he said, “so that what we have learned by working with The Pride of Oklahoma can be applied statewide.”