The 2019 fall sports season has left many teams without having a locker room.   

The field hockey and tennis player along with the cheerleaders all were left with no locker rooms this season. This is a problem because those of us who play on those teams have to change in the bathrooms and have no place for our belongings during practices and games. 

There are many factors that contribute to teams not being able to have their own locker room, the biggest reason being that there are more sports teams in the fall than other seasons. 

“We’re very, very heavy in fall sports, compared to any other season,” George Null, CHS’s Athletic Director, said.

Additionally, there are fewer boys’ fall sports than girls’. There are five teams with girls and three teams with boys, so there may just not be enough girls locker rooms compared to boys.

The size of teams, along with the times of each team’s practice, also play a factor in which teams are allowed access to a locker room. Tennis season is shorter than most sports and is a smaller team. Field hockey starts practices later than other teams, so there are no adults available to supervise them.

Whatever the reason for the lack of locker rooms, fall athletes need a better place to change. 

Locker rooms have more space, both for people and their stuff. Athletes without locker rooms have nowhere to put their bags and things from school. A lot of field hockey players, cheerleaders, and tennis players have to take both their school and sports bags with them to practices and games because they can’t leave their things behind in a locker room. 

“We’re a team that has a lot of equipment, and we have to bring our own equipment so things like shin guards, sticks, mouthguards, [and] goggles we have to carry around all day,” Vivian Stoner, a varsity field hockey player, said. “If we don’t, we have to stick them in a classroom that we’ll eventually have to go back to.”

“A lot of the sports that have locker rooms […] feels unnecessary,” added Stoner, “because the school provides their equipment in sheds or closets.” 

Part of the reason that this situation feels more than just unfortunate is that currently, the only teams displaced are girls’ teams. Members of these teams may already feel slighted when attendance to their games is lower, which also leads to the money being brought in through ticket sales and concessions to be less.

So how can this lack of locker rooms for sports teams be fixed in the future? The school is in the process of improving the situation but still hasn’t made enough renovations for all the teams to have the space that they need.

“[In] the renovation project we just went through, we added an additional team room to try to help with that process,” said Null.  “We added two brand new locker rooms, which is really nice.”  

These new locker rooms are currently being used by girls volleyball and soccer, leaving field hockey, tennis, and the cheer teams still without space for their personal possessions and places to change.

It may be a while, however, before most of the teams hoping for locker rooms will receive them: the school still has a lot of discussions and work to complete.

“Best case scenario we would have a locker room for everyone,” Null added.  “We’re in a facility study right now that is being addressed.” 

Disclaimer: Articles designated as “Editorial” represent the views and opinions of the author, not the 2019-2020 Periscope staff, CHS/CASD administration, or the CHS student body.