With bathrooms being inaccessible and locker rooms are crowded, student athletes rush after school to find a place to get ready for practice.
After recent incidents causing the bathroom to be closed both between classes and after school, athletes have been forced to quickly change in crowded locker rooms. Some athletes have resorted to getting ready in the doorless bathrooms after stopping by their lockers.
“So after the last bell rings I have to go all the way down to my locker, which is in the new wing, and then I have to go to north gym and change and most of the time I have to wait a while because there are a lot of people in there now since there’s all the bathrooms locked throughout the school,” said sophomore basketball player Gabriella B.
Occasionally, athletes are late to practice because they cannot find somewhere to get changed and prepare. Student athletes have been trying to find a place to change in crowded locker rooms, and doorless bathrooms, located in the upper B wing towards the back hallway, and outside the cafeteria.
“I would have to walk all the way to the open bathroom in the science wing because not a lot of the bathrooms are unlocked…but it takes a while. Sometimes we are late to track with the amount of people that have to change…at least once a week [we are late],“ said sophomore winter track runner Hailey T.
While some athletes have experienced the long wait for bathrooms which need to be opened by security guards and teachers, or waiting in crowded locker rooms and long lines to get ready, some have made suggestions about the situation.
“I usually change in the girls bathroom by the south gym…it’s not often [locked] but I have to ask a security guard to unlock it…[They should] just keep it unlocked and have someone monitor it,” said freshman wrestler Bianca A.
Recently, some locations near where student athletes get ready have been monitors to unlock the bathrooms.
“There was a person assigned to those bathrooms to make sure they’re open after school, so maybe when this first happened, they were locked…but I know that they are open now,” said Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics Patrick Friel.
While most of the bathrooms have been locked throughout the school, there are other facilities that could be used.
“A lot of student athletes don’t want to use the locker rooms that are available to them each and every day…they might try to jump to the closest bathroom near their ninth period class or maybe their practice facility, but after school I know that the school district has added guards or supervisors to the bathrooms near the weight room and also the bathrooms near the south gym, so both gym areas are opened, [and] the larger bathroom facilities,” said Friel.
However, the locker rooms are known to be extremely crowded after school, making it hard to find somewhere to change.
“I do know that the gym locker [room] is locked but it takes a while for a security to come and unlock it but half the time there is chaos. There’s bags and clothes everywhere…it’s a mess,” said Torres.◼️
