At Tampa Preparatory School, one field does it all. Soccer, lacrosse, baseball, middle school, high school—every team, every practice, one space. And when the Florida weather turns, there’s no room for slow decisions or second guesses.
“Having one source now with Perry Weather that everyone knows about and knows the protocol for wet bulb and lightning is great because it backs us as admin and athletic trainers.”
“All of our sports teams are right here on campus,” said Chris Lavoie, Director of Athletics. “We have one multipurpose field. And that goes from our high school down to our middle school—sixth, seventh, and eighth grade teams.”
In a state where severe heat and lightning are an everyday reality, Lavoie and his athletic trainer were handling things the old-fashioned way: going out to the field, taking wet bulb readings manually, and sending updates by text. It was time-consuming, inconsistent, and prone to delays.
“Every afternoon in the fall, weather issues pop up,” Chris explains. “In the past, our routine was that we used to go out with a handheld wet bulb monitor, sit there for 10 minutes, and then send a group text. It took time. And it wasn’t consistent.” That’s no longer the case.
“We have always tried to look for a one-stop shop so that we can be more efficient, save time, and really get rid of the handhelds.”
How Perry Weather Replaced Patchwork Processes With Confidence
“Perry Weather has helped us with that,” said Lavoie. “So now, we’re not out there with the handhelds getting readings. We have these text alerts going to coaches. We have our athletic trainers and myself and everybody else all on the same page.”
That consistency—everyone operating off the same data, following the same protocols—was a game-changer.
Sara Wagner, one of the athletic trainers at Tampa Prep, explained how the system brought unity across the board.
“Having one source now with Perry Weather that everyone knows about and knows the protocol for wet bulb and lightning is great because not only it backs us as admin and athletic trainers to show, hey, coaches, there’s lightning within 8 miles,” she said.
“It’s showing us right here on the app or the siren just went off, so you know you should be getting out of the pool or out of the field.”
Gone are the days of conflicting websites or “he said, she said” confusion.
“So now, instead of just being like, oh, I went to this URL, this website, that may not be accurate in saying it says to get out. And they’re like, well, this one says it doesn’t say to get out, so we should stay in. Now, we have this one standard that we’re all going by, that everybody has to go by.”
Real-Time Safety in Florida’s Harshest Heat
Wagner emphasized how urgent and serious the need for real-time readings has become, especially during Florida’s brutal August heat.
“During August, it is brutally hot here in Florida, and there have been several heat strokes and deaths of young athletes because schools are not taking the proper protocols, whether that be a wet bulb or even listening to the athletes and putting them in an ice bath and giving them correct treatment,” she said.
“When it is black, we cannot be outside for the safety of the athletes. And so it’s nice to have something to remind coaches even when we’re not there.”
Florida’s FHSAA wet bulb rules require precision and accountability—and Perry Weather delivers.
“We are in Florida, so that means we have to abide by the FHSAA wet bulb rules. So really, it gives us that extra peace of mind that students and coaches are going to remain safe.”
From the Gym to the Field: Automation Saves Time and Stress
Both Wagner and Lavoie know how quickly weather can change in Florida—and how difficult it can be to manually manage 200 students across campus.
“For us, me and my athletic trainer, we have an office way in the back of the gym. It’s almost like a dungeon. And we can’t hear lightning. We can’t hear a horn go off,” said Lavoie.
“And in Florida, they pop up all the time. It can be clear and sunny for the first hour, and then 30 minutes later, we get a heavy rainstorm and lightning. It happens like that in fall and winter all the time.”
That’s where Perry Weather’s automation has been a game-changer.
“So it’s very nice for us to be able to rely on having the text messages not only to us but as the coaches. So if we can’t run out to the field because we’re in the gym to tell them to get off, we know that they’re getting the text. Or now, with Perry Weather, we have a siren that tells them they need to get off.”
Instead of weather safety falling entirely on the athletic department’s shoulders, it’s now distributed—and much more reliable.
“So it’s nice now that we can put that responsibility on other coaches and admin and not just ourselves, when there’s just two of us and there’s 200 kids outside that we have to protect and keep safe.”
Safety Above All
Even when it’s inconvenient, safety is non-negotiable. “Games will happen, practices might get postponed. And yeah, it makes coaches and athletes upset like, well, we just want to be out there. It doesn’t look that bad out there,” said Lavoie. “But heaven forbid, you do hear stories of lightning striking, and we don’t want that to happen here.”
“So I think that for us, for the state, for nationwide, just making sure you’re safe is the number one priority.”
