Showers

[BrynCP]

At our school, they were always turned on, but never used - always seemed like a waste of water. This was 15 years ago and an all boys school. Part of the problem, at least, is the shower area was just a cold concrete area with some overhead showers at a pre-set temperature.

At our school PE was always seen as a bit of a bonus/treat. If somebody had misbehaved, you'd all go off to a spare classroom and learn some theory on sport or something, so you got no exercise. I hated PE anyway, I was no good at football or rugby or any of the "winter" PE sports, I only liked athletics, basketball and tennis in the summer and tended to exert as little effort as possible and was never challenged on it.

 

[Smokin Joe]

I loved football and running and couldn't wait for games lessons to come round. But PE, prancing round in the gym on parallel bars and mats and so on was something I detested. I was not and never have been what I'd call a supple person and things even as simple as a forward roll were just agony.

As for showers afterwards, that issue never arose because we didn't have any to use.

 

[GM]

I used to like our sports day at school. We had a changing room with communal showers, and next door was the girls changing room. The rooms had a door linking the two rooms, which was obviously locked..... but it had a keyhole
Re- Goresbrook Playing fields Dagenham circa 1962/3

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

We were never allowed! There was always some great rush for a bus/form class or to get to entry level French on time.

Primary school swimming lessons(late 90's) a lifeguard was always around to keep an eye on us. Nobody batted an eyelid at being able to hear the teacher(female) yelling from the outer door of the locker room.

Secondary swimming: Very much the same but male teacher was never far away

Secondary PE: Never saw the showers running once, didn't know there was a gym until a few months before I left.

But back then I was the fat kid who was slightly body concious so never complained. Although I have been seen totally naked by a female teacher

 

[stephec]

I took too long in the shower one day and got caned on the arse in the nude

Did you go on to become a tory mp?

 

[Hitchington]

At my old school if you forgot your PE kit you had to do games in your pants. Trouble was I kept forgetting my pants as well.

 

[Piemaster]

At the senior school I went to (all boys) showers were compulsory, unless you could wiggle way your out with the parental note.
Also for the first couple of years I remember the changing room was more like a pavilion, with windows all around, apart from the shower area, to just above the benches, with a view over the playing fields. The place was in the far corner from a passing road, but with a pair of binoculars... Windows were eventually bricked up, but whether this was for our benefit or for the sports clubs that used the field as well. They all obviously brought a few supporters to hang about you had to go pastthe changing room to get to the pitches.

My daughter doesn't shower after sports. Lots of deodorant and a shower after getting home. I can't blame her not wanting to strip off in front of her peers. I always hated it.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I don't recall it ever being a problem, we were told we needed to keep clean and why and we got on with it. And all our sports teachers were actually real teachers, mine was a geography teacher if that's a proper subject.

 

[F70100]

My Dad always took my brother and I swimming when we were nippers and though there were changing cubicles, they weren't big enough to fit the three of us. Hence we got changed in and out of swimmies in the communal part of the changing room.

I started playing squash whilst still at school and I don't recall anyone not having a shower in the communal showers after that. Showers at scout camps were always communal. After school I went to work in the coal mines in Yorkshire. Showering there was with 300 of your closest friends... I can't deny though that the first time one of the old geezers with no teeth and his knackers slapping his knees asked me to wash his back, I did wonder how my life was going to turn out .


So, the survey found that kids don't take communal showers after exercise, assuming that they do exercise in the first place. I blame the parents!

 

[DRHysted]

Never once set foot in the showers at school. Stand naked in front of the crowd who made my life living hell, it was never going to happen. Couple that with a PE teacher who stood and watched the entrance and exit felt wrong to me.

It has actually taken the last 5 years of cycling to stop me being self concious of my body (shows what good education can do to you as I left school in 1991), but I suppose it's hard to be self conscious in Lycra.

 

[tyred]

There were showers in the changing rooms at my secondary school but I don't ever remember them being used by anyone. (mid 1990s)

I hated PE more than anything else and I think it put me off exercise for years to come. It just gave the boys that bullied me a chance to wipe me out with horrific tackles and then drag me through the mud with the PE teacher encouraging them. To this day I have a hatred of football. We used to have an "all weather pitch" for hockey which was basically some sort of hard pack coated in very fine gravel and I got dragged along that too many times until my legs were all grazed and then the PE teacher used to wipe me down with neat Dettol.

I don't think I did PE at all in 4th and 5th year, I used to forge my own "sick" notes.

 

[screenman]

Wednesday afternoon in my last year at school was a whatever sport you wanted time, I went cycling and ice skating. (Speed not dance)

In the earlier years we had a long narrow shower room with showers both end, you had to get undressed and walk through these, some of us stopped and had a wash others did not. I think it helped if you were one of the guys whose voice broke early. Mine did.

I now live in Lincolnshire a place which is full of unwashed adults let alone kids, my wife is a chiropodist and it is not unusual for people not to wash between visits. Or to say their feet should be OK as they washed them last week.

 

[tyred]

Mine did end up being suspended and then sacked a few years after I left school after someone reported him for bullying and then a whole avalanche of complaints came out of the woodwork. He was also very sleazy with the girls and they all hated him.

 

[theclaud]

I went cycling and ice skating. (Speed not dance)

How disappointing.

 

[Smokin Joe]

How disappointing.

You looking for a partner?