Take a Shower!
“Take a shower, dude! You stink! And while you’re at it set aside a couple of hours and visit a laundromat!”
Many people don’t believe me when I tell them that I have this conversation with many of todays college student athletes. Of course if I told a regular college student this I’d probably get fired!
“You’re kidding me, right?”
I wish I was. But the fact of the matter is many of todays youth, at least where I work, is traumatized to take a shower in a public locker room facility.
Perhaps it’s just my generation. Grew up in the late sixties, early seventies. Streaking was in vogue. So was taking a locker room shower after PE class (which no longer exists in most parts of the country anymore) from the time we were in, oh… about 5th grade.
So being naked in front of your peers was absolutely no big deal. Everyone has parts!
The scene has drastically changed today. Many kids wouldn’t be caught dead in a locker room shower and some of those brave soles will only shower there after donning some week old sweaty, skanky swim trunks and showering in those.
“You’re kidding me, right?”
I wish I was!
“But don’t those sweaty football players shower after practices and games?”
Some do. Many don’t. I sat next next to a 290 pound fatty for a 9 hour bus ride home after a game in early September. Everyone should want to take a shower after competing on that hot field turf. But not this guy. And he wasn’t the only one.
“How about the basketballers?”
These guys never heard of a locker room shower let alone use one!
“You’re kidding me, right?”
I wish I was! But the sad truth is if the OSHA reps ever showed up they would quarantine the basketball gear and locker room facility where I work. At least the guys anyway. Don’t know about the gals all that much since I don’t make it a habit of walking through their locker room to check on someone. But I doubt the hygiene practices are much better than their counterparts across the hall.
“Runners?”
Nah! Taking a shower isn’t a part of their regiment. And they never, and I mean never, waiver from the regiment! Even if it makes total sense to do so! Endorphin overload does not allow it! They do want to crawl all over your ice baths in their stinky, sweaty, crotch soaked gear after workouts though.
Now the wrestlers always shower after every workout. And there are many. When you work as hard as they do you welcome the chance to clean up actually using soap and shampoo. But most of these guys have been wrestling since they were little so it’s no big deal. They can’t imagine not wanting to take a shower after workouts!
I don’t have many rules in the training room but one that’s strictly non-negotiable reads, “After Practice, No Shower-No Service!“, unless of course a kid is acutely injured.
“Kids probably shower then don’t they?
No they don’t! But they don’t get any service either, unless of course, they’ve sustained an acute injury. They do lie about it long and often but that’s another posting.
When enforcing this policy, and I have to do this repeatedly on a daily basis, the looks and excuses I get from the non-compliant are laughable. You would have thought I just confiscated their Xbox, iPhone, and MySpace party pictures all at the same time. Just who do I think I am?
“You’re kidding me, right?”
I wish I was! But when addressing a particular group of kids prior to the beginning of their season I emphasis the importance of showering immediately after practices and games. For several reasons!
- MRSA infections are on the rise.
- Impetigo infections are on the rise!
- Tinea (ringworm) fungus infections are on the rise!
- Herpes virus transmissions on the rise!
- Poor hygiene is on the rise!
It’s also about respect for the athletic training room facility and the Certified Athletic Trainers that are there to help them. This facility is operated and governed like a medical facility (which it is) and is not an extension of the locker room, thank goodness!
As Certified Athletic Trainers we shouldn’t have to tolerate and provide services to students athletes too lazy to clean up appropriately, choose to smell like 3 day old August road kill, and then clean up after them. I do not and will not!
The youth of America needs a good scrubbing.
I’m not kidding!
Teach a kid how to take a shower today! It’s a Win, Win!
Ike
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