During the last two weeks of summer, most college students are doing last minute traveling, partying, and trying to cram everything into 14 short days. This was not the case for the Lady Saints of the Seward County volleyball team. They cut their summers short, and arrived nearly two weeks before school started in what turned out to be a record setting summer for heat in southwest Kansas. Most towns reached their all-time highs, including Liberal topping off at 116-degrees, and not to mention consecutive days of triple digit temperatures. Thank God this team would be able to practice in the cool, air conditioned Green House. Or not. The Lady Saints were forced to practice in a gym that seemed to be an oversized sauna. When asked about the gym’s heat, Madison Winkelman of the volleyball team said, “It’s by far the hottest gym I’ve ever played in, but we’ve done really well to not let it affect out work ethic.”

Staying true to their “No excuses” motto, the Lady Saints are buckling down, and sticking it out. Also getting HOTT in the gym is the SCCC dance team and basketball teams.“It was like 302-degrees in there one day,” AdreAnne Nondorf of the dance team exagerated. Practicing in an indoor facility that is not air conditioned would be pretty intense, and I’m sure raising some concerns. Fortunately for the athletic teams, the Seward trainers are close by: keeping their   water bottles filled, and even caring for them if they get hurt or pass out, and, yes, there was one member of the basketball team that did in fact pass out. But the relentless Saints are staying at it, and burning it up. The Lady Saints start their season at home, 6:30 Wednesday evening, in an anticipated contest against rivaled Colby.