But like many adolescents, he often doesn't remember to put on some sunscreen.

"Some days I do," Wray said. "But in the mornings not as much."

Wray, a West High School senior quarterback, is used to the sweat and the heat of summer in Utah. But it's the effects of the ultraviolet rays that he doesn't remember or think about.

Which is why Wray, and many of Utah's adolescents, are part of the growing number of people who experience about 70 percent of sun damage they will get in their lifetime before they reach the age of 30, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics Web site.

The problem is, kids don't think they need to wear sunscreen. And it's not cool to wear it at football practice.

Even considering the issue seems to be a problem. Some Utah athletes have showed a level of ignorance about the effects of ultraviolet light. A Polynesian athlete said sun damage is a concern only for those with lighter skin.

Steven Jepson, the medical director of the Utah Dermatologic and Medical Procedure Clinic in Murray, begs to differ.

"Ultraviolet radiation is going to affect everybody, regardless of skin color," Jepson said. "There really are a lot of types of sunscreen and I know people don't like to put sunscreen on because it's such a hassle . . .

"They should be more concerned because they live in Utah, because we live in a higher altitude."

Jepson said Utahns are outdoor people and, as a result, they have more sun exposure.

But that is simply not what high school athletes like Wray, who spend hours a week practicing outside, worry about.

With two-a-days and little to no time between drills, Wray said he'd rather grab a bottle of water then a tube of sunscreen.

"The last time, I [had to keep] applying sunscreen," Wray said. "That's the thing with football - you have to reapply it during the day."

According to the AAP Web site, Wray is right, because sweating makes sunscreen less effective. Reapplying it is necessary. But dermatologists argue losing a couple of minutes to reapply sunscreen is a small price to pay considering, "approximately 80 percent of lifetime sun exposure occurs before the age of 18 years old," according to the pediatricians' Web site.

'You don't think about it'

Wray's teammate, sophomore tailback/linebacker Tipa Vaisigao, said he doesn't have much experience with being sunburned - except the time he went to a water park last year. But the experience wasn't enough to remind him of the dangers and pain that come with extreme sun exposure.

Especially not during summer and fall practices.

"You really don't think about it because you got your mind on the game," Vaisigao said.

Junior strong safety Josh Fitisemanu added, "It's not something you should be thinking about when you play football."

But Jepson disagrees.

The physician said melanoma is the leading type of skin cancer detected in women ages 20-40 years old, and it could also be true for men because they probably get more UV exposure.

"It's especially frightening that they have that attitude, but that's a teenager attitude," Jepson said. "Teenagers tend to think nothing can hurt them. Skin cancer can occur at any time. Skin cancer is a cancer of young people and that's 100 percent preventable."

Coaches' role

The AAP says that melanoma killed about 7,800 people in the United States last year, and the number is expected to rise each year.

West football coach Randy Schreiter acknowledges the problem, but said that, as a coach, there's only so much he can do when encouraging his players to use sunscreen.

"We suggest it. We can tell them," Schreiter said. "It would be nice if we did have the funds to buy sunscreen."

Schreiter said preseason practices are held in the early morning or in the early evening to avoid intense heat. But as a coach, sometimes he finds the need to step out of the routine and have midday practices.

While coaches like Schreiter do what they can to keep their players out of the sun, other coaches don't have the luxury.

"With lighting, we don't have lighting in the stadium," Alta girls' soccer coach Lee Mitchell said.

Mitchell said he doesn't remind his players to wear sunscreen, but knows he should do a better job of it.

"It is something that's become necessary," Mitchell said. "With everything else the kids are doing, you forget about it."

With melanoma incidents on the rise, Jepson said coaches should be concerned, but believes parents should play a larger role.

"I understand that it costs money, but I would think parents of athletes should be a little more encouraging," Jepson said, adding that parents are aware of sun damage when it comes to young children, but when it comes to young adults, it's a different story.

Tan now, wrinkled later

While a great number of high school athletes are unaware of how UV rays affect them, there are some who are concerned.

Alta sophomore soccer player Courtney Nance said typically, as the team prepares to head out into the scorching weather, someone is bound to yell, "Does anyone need sunscreen?"

"I always use sunscreen. I put it on every time I come out," Nance said. "I know you can get skin cancer. The others should probably consider it."

Nance appears to be unusual in that sense.

East girls' soccer coach Rudy Schenk said some of his players don't think about the possible health problems caused by sun. Much the opposite.

"These girls want to get tanned," Schenk said. "If I tell them to apply [sunscreen], they probably won't."

According to the AAP Web site, young adults are only damaging their skin with sun exposure. The Web site states that "Chronic sun exposure eventually causes signs of premature aging - including wrinkles, sagging cheeks and skin discoloration."

On the site, AAP president Louis Z. Cooper said "All that effort out into looking 'good' now will probably leave high school and college students looking a lot worse in the future."

Kearns football left tackle Jake Vallieres said he often leaves practice with a tan, but knows from experience that it is nothing to be happy about, because with the tan comes a great deal of pain.

"The next day at practice, you get hit and feel that sting, that sensation in your arms and legs," Vallieres said. "It hurts the most when you think about it. Most of the time, I usually don't think about it.

"I don't think of the long-term effects of not using sunscreen, just the short effects," Vallieres said. "It's not that big of a deal to me."

That is the problem.

sredhouse@sltrib.com