Question for parents of teenagers

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Our son is in 9th grade and is playing freshman football. He comes home from practice every day smelly and filthy. We asked him why he hadn't taken a shower after practice and he said that no one take a shower there.

Is this normal these days? When I was in school (just after the end of the Civil War)(actually, it was the early 70's) you took a shower in the locker room after every sports practice. If you had Phys. Ed. at school earlier in the day, you took a shower after that also.

I have to admit that I haven't done a real lot of serious working out in the past 10 years or so, but before that I used to play basketball at the Y. When I would get done, it seemed as though all the guys there would take really serious showers before dressing and going home.
 
Well, my daughter doesn't play sports, but I think I remember football back in my school it was like voluntary. I remember seeing guys riding their bikes home after practice wearing their uniforms and sweaty. I'm sure their moms made them shower when they got there ( I hope) and also had to wash the uniforms. Plus, our showers sucked. It felt like you were being peed on (one little stream).

I'll ask a football guy who works here. He should know.
 
There was an article in the paper about this phenomenon happening in Portland high schools as well. Apparently very few kids take showers anymore after sports practice, or games. They just cake on that body spray stuff. Apparently some kids in Portland high schools were having near asthma attacks in the classroom because so many kids were doing this. Seems disgusting to me. When I played high school sports(like you, back before telephones), everyone took a shower. In fact, a person was considered weird if they didn't.

The lead in the story was about a kid at a dance with his date right after the football game, in which he played. No shower, and straight to the dance. Yuck! None for you, my friend.
 
I graduated high school in 2001. Honestly, in all my years of school, I think I saw one person take a shower after gym class on one occasion only. I was a 3 sport athelete and all took showers at home rather than at school. Why? I have no idea but kids seem to just follow the pack in this regard.
 
I talked to the guy at work and he said it's voluntary, and in fact, it can be hard to get into the school at night during practice due to it being locked up.

Anyway, as far as phys ed, if you participated in phys ed while I was in school, you had to take a shower afterwards, or you got a mark. A few of those and you were not passing phys ed!

I'm sure that after games, the guys are all taking showers. Just more difficult after a practice.
 
I think it has to do more with the fact that kids, especially in 9th grade, are a bit insecure with their bodies and being naked in front of a bunch of other guys.

I know that when I went to high school (mine was only back before they had the interwebz), our locker rooms and showers were really outdated, even for then, and if you didn't have to shower (not totally sweaty) then you didn't or if P.E. was your last period then you just hopped in you car and went home and showered.

I think it's pretty common for most kids in after school sports to not shower there, since they head right home afterwards.
 
I graduated high school in 2000 and played football freshman and sophomore years. I never showered after practice. Never really thought about why until just now. But yeah, no one did.
 
I graduated high school in 2003 and I can tell you with absolute certainty that this is happening everywhere. Many kids are very insecure about themselves and our whole culture is designed to tell kids that nudity is the devil and to never show yourself to others. This coupled with the fact that many, many, many kids (I won't say most, but it is close to most) are sexually active by the time they reach high school, or are at least familiar with sexual activity and it is a part of their everyday lives through conversation, jokes, media, and life in general. When you are a teenager it is cool to know about sex. So the combination of sex normal with friends and everyone knows about it and parents telling them sex and nudity are the devil, it is a very confusing message.

As far as guys go in the shower, I KNOW that it is a big deal for many guys from a manliness standpoint. The are afraid of being "measured" to others or of having people making fun of them for the way they look naked. Guys that age think they are supposed to look like guys in pornos with a 10 incher and 8 pack abs. None know that only freaks are like that. That said, there are also many who don't give a **** and just get nude and go about there business. I have never been afraid of nudity and have always showered. It is very funny being like that in high school now. On our varsity football team, most of the starters and a large group of us were all very confident guys, we all showered and had a huge nude party after all our victories. It was very roman grecko somehow and was extra fun because of all the other guys we made feel silly, because we were nude..... ahhhhh a naked man, oh wait I look like that too.:rolleyes:

I think the whole thing is silly, just take a dern shower already and stop smelling the joint up!
 
Boerderij Kabouter said:
On our varsity football team, most of the starters and a large group of us were all very confident guys, we all showered and had a huge nude party after all our victories. It was very roman grecko somehow and was extra fun because of all the other guys we made feel silly, because we were nude..... ahhhhh a naked man, oh wait I look like that too
Click to expand...


Ummm ... Ok! The team that showers together, stays together?
 
I graduated high school in 2002. We never showered after P.E. and did not have an option to (that I knew of). Having 50 minute class periods and only 2 minutes or less to change, I could imagine that having to coordinate showering would be a PITA.

My P.E. teacher was the football coach and he said that football was the only sport that the players showered. He also talked about all the cleaning they had to do. Public showers can be a huge public health risk if they are not cleaned/maintained well. The athletic department had to pay to have the shower cleaned ever day and treated with some type of fungicide ever day. The introduction of some contagious disease in the shower is a huge liability.
 
Exactly!!! lol I knew I would get railed for that, but it was seriously hilarious. All the guys were very hetero so no one had any problems with it and it was just very funny, like streaking.
 
Beerrific said:
I graduated high school in 2002. We never showered after P.E. and did not have an option to (that I knew of). Having 50 minute class periods and only 2 minutes or less to change, I could imagine that having to coordinate showering would be a PITA.

My P.E. teacher was the football coach and he said that football was the only sport that the players showered. He also talked about all the cleaning they had to do. Public showers can be a huge public health risk if they are not cleaned/maintained well. The athletic department had to pay to have the shower cleaned ever day and treated with some type of fungicide ever day. The introduction of some contagious disease in the shower is a huge liability.
Click to expand...

Wow, we did not have this problem. I always showered after PE, but no one else really did. I remember during swimming everyone had to shower and it was so hilarious seeing how terrified the guys were of being seen naked.... the teachers must have gotten such a kick out of that. Get over yourself people its just nudity!
 
Boerderij Kabouter said:
. . . . we all showered and had a huge nude party after all our victories.
Click to expand...

Graduated high school in 71. Did sports and everyone showered. Didn’t think too much about it. You sweat, you shower. May be I’m homophobic, but the party thing is a little scary. Might make me think twice about being in the same shower room with that going on.
 
Graduated in '98- and I was a two sport athlete. The facilities were there to shower, but there was no time between classes to squeeze one in. After practice, I'd always shower.

Meh.
 
I graduated high school in 2000 and after gym class there was no showering by anyone. But I played football and wrestled and only a few of the guys showered after practice, games or matches, and it was never the freshmen or sophomores. I didn't get into the habit until about 1/2 way through the wrestling season my Junior year when I got a bad case of ringworm from the wrestling mats. Washing off right away after practice really helped me not catch it again. From there it just carried over and I did it the next fall after football practices and games.

It wasn't a big deal, and so few guys on the team did it that there were never more than 3 guys showering at a time, and often you got the whole room to yourself. This is despite the fact that there were more than a dozen showers on each wall in the locker room.
 
I graduated in the early 70's and everyone had to shower except me due to my AP allergy. My playmate's boy is in highschool football and comes home to shower but it's after school anyways.
 
I graduated in 1995 & went to an all boys schools for my first two years of high school. we didnt shower because it was an all boys school. I took life saving in sophmore year & i didnt shower because i was a little shy. So it is a common thing. I would tell him to make sure he cleans his gear though because that flesh eating bacteria
 
Ok, is anyone else here surprised to see that there are kids from the class of 2000, 2001, and even 2003 active on a beer board?
I know, I know, the math is there and it is not even close.... but, damnit! I can't be that old!
I remember back in Jr High ('84) showering would have made you a target for ridicule and it was clear to me that it was rampant homophobia and body image weirdness. In high school, most people seemed to get over themselves and shower again. I think that also was related to our bodies really starting to stink by that age.
I'm surprised that none of the younger ones have said "PE, what's that?"
 
I graduated in 1991 and after football and basketball practices/games I only showered at the school if I had something going on afterward. If not, I'd wait until I got home. That much sausage in one room should be enough to make any straight man uncomfortable. :D
 
I agree with the nudity thing being an issue, but for me it would be more than that, a shower is a cleansing thing not just for your body but your mind as well. I take showers in the morning and more than anything else its the thing that relaxes me and prepares me for the rest of the day I just cant see taking a shower in a public locker room.
 
cubbies said:
I was from 2000. That was 8 years ago! I have no idea how 18 turned into 26.
Click to expand...

Hooray for BEER!


I also graduated in 2000. We never showered after gym. We just didn't have time even if you wanted, not that I would have. You were lucky to get changed and not be late to class. I was a scrawny kid. 5'3" 103 pounds when I got my drivers license my junior Year at 16. No way I was jumping in the shower in front of the rest of my hillbilly redneck class.
I played soccer so we always had practice at 5:30, so I just went back home afterwards, ate dinner, and showered/jumped in the pool. Same with games. Shower when ya get home. You're already stinky, you don't notice it. Now I feel bad for the coaches and bus drivers after away games. Stinky bus ride!

Kids these days (as in my "day") are very insecure with their bodies. We're all expected to look like gladiators.
 
My son comes up sweaty and stinky, so I actually asked him why he doesn't shower. He said because he hates showering in a swimsuit, and would rather come home and shower. I said, "HUH?" That's right- if the boys shower, they ALL wear swimsuits. He's 16 now, and it's always been like that I guess.
 
Crazy. I always had time for a quick rinse off at least when I had PE. Yes, I was a bit self-consciece (sp), but we really basically had to. I even managed to get through without getting my nuts slapped by a towel.

I think it's a terrible shame that kids today don't have some of that to go through. Yes, some people can be cruel, but those guys are going to be that way anyway, so they'll just find something else to pick on you about.
 
Homercidal said:
Crazy. I always had time for a quick rinse off at least when I had PE. Yes, I was a bit self-consciece (sp), but we really basically had to. I even managed to get through without getting my nuts slapped by a towel.

I think it's a terrible shame that kids today don't have some of that to go through. Yes, some people can be cruel, but those guys are going to be that way anyway, so they'll just find something else to pick on you about.
Click to expand...

Yep, high school should be a time to shed your childish fears, like public showers and using public toilets. I think a little bit of ass kicking and uncomfort can go a long way toward making kids adults.
 
I was working out at the gym at school the other day , and went to take a shower afterwards.

I had noticed that a lot of guys walked around the locker room in swimsuits, but I guess I had just assumed that they were on the swim team. Anyways while im showering, not in a swimsuit, these guys come in and are like "woah man whats going on in here?! Not cool!"

I couldn't believe it. And this is graduate school, not high school. If those idiots think that I'm going to carry around a wet bathing suit every time I'm on campus because they can't deal with showering like normal people they've got another thing coming.

This is why they don't allow women in the mens locker room, no one is going to go blind in the shower.
 
Wow, I find his weird.
When I played sports you showered after practice and after PE. Showers were a big room with one valve to turn on all the shower heads (plus a couple individual shower heads for odd times). I couldn't imagine even getting in a car looking the way I did after football. The sweat was the least of the problems but problem enough. Sure there was some shyness on the part of the less confident, especially freshman but you got made more fun of for avoiding showering than you would for any lack. Time for the younger generation to get some confidence.
Graduated in `91.

Craig
 
I didn't realize we were talking about sports and gym class. I think something that must have recently changed is the protocol of gym class. Gym class was treated as every other class. You have 6 minutes to get from said class to your locker (if necessary) and to the next class or else you get a tardy. 3 tardys got you a day of detention. At my school, the gym was across the campus from the other classes and you had to pack your stuff for next class just to have enough time to change and make it to the next class. Showering after gym was never even an option.

As for sports, at least for me, it was never really a confidence issue, although thinking back I probably would not have wanted to do it, it was just something we didnt do. Nobody on the team showered. We would all finish practice, change, go to our cars/rides and go home. To my knowledge no one showered.
 
Yeah I graduated in '02 and I remeber showering in some shorts. It doesn't really make much sense but thats what eveyone else did so I just followed suit.

However now when i am at the gym I take a shower like a normal person but I am still not as free with being naked as some of the old timers there. I guess it's just the direction things are moving.
 
Graduated in 1999, played several sports, and no one ever showered after practices or games (only exception was swim team, where you might jump in the shower, fully suited, just to rinse the chlorine from your hair). As has been said, you're heading home anyway, and who wants to hang around school longer than necessary? (Not to mention, being a girl, you'd have to carry around an assload of products.)

My cohort was never given the option of a shower after PE. Same as others, there was absolutely no time. You were lucky to get changed, gather your crap, and rush off to the next class on time, let alone get a few minutes to soap up your pits.
 
Wow... I hadn't even thought about the swimmers.... I believe they all want to join a nudist colony. The were one nude bunch. I heard the girls were pretty crazy as well.

I find it strange that PE teachers are not giving time to shower and clean up. So you guys (and girls) all just went to your other classes all sweaty? That sounds pretty nasty. I bet it really helped with the acne too :rolleyes:
 
I was in high school in the late 80's and everyone showered. We always showered after games and practice. Especially football. Football weather in Oregon is basically rain and mud. No shower = covered in mud.

In Jr. high, I still recall the old school PE teacher with the tight @ss Bike shorts and the whistle. He would sit by the door to the locker room and make sure everyone showered. Wouldn't let you leave unless you did, or had a note from a Dr.

I can understand skipping the shower if you're going right home to shower there, but going out, or going back to class without showering? That's naaaasty! as Cleveland would say.
 
MgMt_Home_Brew said:
However now when i am at the gym I take a shower like a normal person but I am still not as free with being naked as some of the old timers there. I guess it's just the direction things are moving.
Click to expand...

No, really sure if that's the direction society is headed. I think old-timers just don't care and I understand more and more every passing year. With each passing year, I just don't give a crap. I do what I'm gonna do and leave.

I know at my old gym, the old timers would just hang out (there was a little tv room in the locker room) naked and carry on conversations with each other in the buff.
 
Two years in a row I had first period gym class. I used to go to school unshowered, have class, and be the only one hitting the shower afterward. It was my morning shower. I took a lot of heat because no one else showered and I was ALWAYS late to my next class because we were given 2 minutes to change. It took that long for the water to hit "warm". The staff couldn't argue against showers given the level of activity they expected so I never got in trouble about being late to period 2.
 
I graduated from a tiny Catholic high school way back in the dark ages (1986). Small school had a tiny lockerroom and showers that apparently hadn't been cleaned since 1972. I played football, basketball and baseball and never, never showered after practice. Never after PE either, given the time constraints between classes.

I always waited until I got home. Not because of any phobia other than the disgusting nature of the school's showers. Playing baseball the next year in college was luxurious. Great facilities. I even showered there rather than the dorm when we weren't in season.
 
srm775 said:
I know at my old gym, the old timers would just hang out (there was a little tv room in the locker room) naked and carry on conversations with each other in the buff.
Click to expand...

That is one thing that always amazed me. I don't really make a big deal about being nude in front of other guys at a gym or whatever. If I can avoid it I will, but it is not a huge deal. But the old guys, also at my old gym, were completely careless. Like you say, completely nude talking and carrying on with one another. One day there was one sitting on a bench putting his socks on, while another was standing in front of him shootin the breeze. The guys junk couldn't have been more than 15 inches from his face. They just carried on like nothing was out of the ordinary though. I thought it was pretty funny.
 
Boerderij Kabouter said:
I find it strange that PE teachers are not giving time to shower and clean up. So you guys (and girls) all just went to your other classes all sweaty? That sounds pretty nasty. I bet it really helped with the acne too :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Luckily in high school, our gym teachers didn't demand much physical activity out of the girls (mostly because most of the girls I went to school with were b*tches that wouldn't walk fast or jog even if the teacher told them to, and would then curse out the teacher on top of it). So, I was given a soccer ball and allowed to go practice against the outdoor side of the gym for an hour. No shower necessary after that.

Middle school on the other hand, we were expected to get sweaty and run around, and definitely given no time to shower. You just dealt with it, and it wasn't that terrible, considering most of your friends were stinky at that point too.
 
Shower's were optional in my high school, they were available but I never saw them used by most students. Haven't been required to take a shower in that district in PE since '78 (give or take a few years, rusty memory).

Occasionally athletes would rinse off, but usually they'd just take off their shirt and rinse their head in the water.
 

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