Football fans with a hankering to get two waters for $3 will see their dreams come true at Saturday’s game against Appalachian State.Tiger Concessions will be selling water two for the price of one during the season opener in an effort to counteract heat related issues, director of concessions Larry Wallace said. The special was coordinated with the Athletic Department and Coca-Cola Company.”We’re sensitive to the heat and the stress it’s going to put on our fans,” Wallace said. “That’s why we believe the two for one water is the right thing to do.”The concessions’ water special is one defense against dehydration and heat exhaustion, but additional awareness is recommended by the Student Health Center. University dietitian Vanessa Richard said symptoms of heat exhaustion include low or no urine output, dizziness and nausea.Treatments for heat exhaustion include getting out of the heat and drinking two to four cups of hydrating beverages an hour, Richard said. Hydrating beverages include electrolyte drinks, like Gatorade and Powerade, and water. Heatstroke, another heat-related illness, is usually caused by heat exhaustion, according to the National Institute of Health’s Web site. Symptoms of heatstroke include fever, dry skin, rapid pulse and dizziness.Alcohol intake, a common tailgating practice, poses its own heat issues. Richard recognized that many students drink on gameday but said tailgaters should know of the risks.”[Alcohol] does have devastating effects to the body,” Richard said. “It can alter blood pressure, organ function and kidney function.”Richard recommended alternating alcoholic beverages with hydrating beverages, but she said mixing hydrating beverages, such as electrolyte sports drinks, with alcohol is not a way to kill two birds with one stone.”‘Kill’ might be the operative word there,” said Kathryn Saichuk, Wellness Education coordinator. “If you combine alcohol with something that is getting it into the bloodstream even faster, you get a higher amount of alcohol entering the bloodstream in less time, thus higher intoxication levels and more risk.”Alternating the two types of beverages prolongs alcohol intake, Saichuk said. She recommended one drink per hour.Tiger Concessions did not rule out continuing the special for future games but does not currently have any plans to do so.—–Contact Sean Griffin at [email protected]