National Stay Cool Day Announces Awards Honoring the People Who Cool First

National Stay Cool Day, Thursday, April 8, 2027, will honor the coaches, athletic trainers, schools, and teammates who put cooling first when an athlete goes down from heat.

The standard is simple: cool first, transport second. Exertional heat stroke is 100% survivable.

Too often, the people who get that right never hear a thank-you. These awards are that thank-you.

The Founders Award

Our top honor, presented on April 8 — Eric’s birthday. It goes to the person who stepped up to protect someone else from heat illness, the way Eric looked out for the people around him.

The Cooled First survivor wall

Beside the memorial for athletes lost to exertional heat stroke sits a second wall: athletes who were cooled first and went home, and the people who cooled them. One wall remembers. The other shows what happens when we act fast. Survivor stories are shared only with family permission.

Coach of the Week

Parents and athletes can nominate coaches all season. Each week we name one Coach of the Week — coaches who take heat seriously, build in water and shade, and back the trainer’s call.

Cooling Ready school listing

Schools that get cooling ready — a plan, a tub or cooling setup where they practice and compete, and staff who know to cool first, transport second — can be listed as Cooling Ready. This is a listing, not a certification. It is how we thank campuses that prepare before the first hot day.

Winners will be honored on April 8, 2027, as part of National Stay Cool Day. The April 8 presentation will be nationally televised.

Nominations and listing details will open on the Awards & Recognition page.

In Memory of Eric
nationalstaycoolday.com

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About National Stay Cool Day

National Stay Cool Day is Thursday, April 8, 2027 — a national day focused on preventing heat illness in youth and school sports. The core message is cool first, transport second. Exertional heat stroke is 100% survivable.

Media contact: Shelby Summers, Chief of Staff, join@nationalstaycoolday.com, 251-873-6911