Students would rather stink than shower with peers after gym

One high school wrestling coach has to scare his wrestlers into taking showers — or at least cleaning up with antiseptic wipes — by showing photos of skin infections that can result from poor hygiene. "If you show them the pictures of a staph infection, ringworm or impetigo, they're a lot more likely to take a shower," he says. "You have to trick them sometimes." (Orlando Sentinel)

Comments

[Phranqlin]

You can smell the stinky teens a block away. The jocks are too body-conscious to wash themselves after working out and the non-jocks think they're saving the planet by skipping showers and wearing filthy clothes.

[Tom Weidermeijer]

Gym class just sucked for non-jocks.

I took showers in HS, but not junior high. I was a geek and 30 years ago the jocks just took aim at you. So, after being beaten up at dodge ball... yeah, just quickly change into your normal clothes and get back to class.

[twerp]

When I was in school, they didn't give us enough time to shower after gym. Even if they did, I doubt anybody would have because of self-consciousness.

Us gals kept Bath and Body Works in business though! We'd spray on some Sun-Ripened Raspberry or Sweet Pea like it was going out of style.

To this day whenever I smell those two scents, I'm taken back to high school. Ah, the good ole days.

[MidtownCoog]

I still remember when Leroy popped a boner in the showers in 9th grade.

Now that got EVERYBODY talking.

[merkin4]

One of the comments attached to the article brings up how cell phones with cameras weren't available in the decades past when us grown-ups had gym class. I'd have to concur that would be an issue for me today.

The middle school where my daughter attends doesn't have shower facilities, but still requires public locker-room changing into and out of gym clothes. Punishment up to suspension is dished out for kids not wanting to change in front of others.

[KDP]

I see Americans being laughed at because they smell like the Europeans did twenty years ago. I have yet to meet a smelly European while on vacation there.

[RockyMtnMac]

I always somehow got gym class last period, followed by practice. I guess I was lucky. What sucked was cheering through back-to-back games, and not being able to shower when you wanted to.

[Elroy]

With all the hazing these days and camera phones (as mentioned) I would rather clean up at home. I never showered at school, no one did. IF they have privacy curtains or rooms I wold have considered it. I STILL don't shower at the community center. ISH. Just wear the sweaty stuff home and shower at home. Why waste the time in the locker room.

[Wow... really?]

When I was in HS (20 years ago) most of us showered... We didn't care... The first couple times were uncomfortable, but after that whatever... Though I've always been a closet naturist, so that may be why I didn't care. I can't speak for the others... Even playing drop-in hockey with strangers, most of us showered...I guess with cameras and the internet these days, I can understand the discomfort though...

[Umbriel]

As a certified "non-jock", I really don't recall sweating all that much in Jr. High/High School gym. Most of the physical activity was pretty sporadic -- you'd climb the rope or run the obstacle course, and then wait around ten minutes while the rest of the class did the same. In 11-12 grades most of the year's gym was made up of optional "modules" anyway -- I spent most of the year doing things like archery.

I skipped showering 99% of the time out of modesty/bully & prank avoidance/etc. It's not like I wasn't showering daily anyway.

[American Veteran]

I didn't have this problem.
I went to school before water was invented.

[SickBoy]

Lol when I was in middle/high school our gym teachers would check to make sure everyone showered and put on deodorant. They wouldnt let you leave otherwise. I swear humans are getting more and more stupid...so much for the theory of evolution lol

[Sigh]

Smelling unpleasant (violating societal norms) vs. unhealthy hygene is the issue here --

I would guess that the skin problems might occur when you wear the same clothes day after day. I don't think that the science would support that skin infections come from not showering immediately. Were skin infections raging out of control before twice daily showering came into vogue about 50 years ago? Indoor plumbing (and thus regular showers) have only been around for a century or two, and widespread for maybe 80 years.

Does the coach have proof that skin infections' are from the lack of a prompt shower? I would be more worried about shared surfaces that touch human skin, like workout machines, and, well, shower floors. I had non-stop athlete's foot when I used communal showers (aka 'ring worm' of the foot).

So, do communal showers reduce or increase skin infections?

Maybe they should do this on mythbusters or something.

[dru]

There weren't functional showers at my high school. We were warned by our teachers on the first day of class every year not to use the showers.

Our gym classes were supposed to be 40 min long. You were given 5 min to change into your gym clothes at the start of class, and another 5 min to change out of your gym clothes at the end of class. Attendance took another 5 min. Another 5 min to give instructions and to warn us to "participate." If we had to go outside onto a sporting field, add another 2-1/2 min commute each way.

It wasn't like we were running laps. We were playing sports, where there were periodic stoppages. 15-20 min of sporadic activity wasn't really enough time for you to sweat until you stank.

[bobbdogg]

Ringworm is a fungal infection that comes from being in contact with an infected animal or human, *not* from poor hygiene. Impetigo develops from continual close contact with dirty surfaces--clothes, bedding, uncleaned household surfaces, etc. Hygeine related, yes, but not from failing to shower immediately after working up a sweat. It's *highly* unlikely that anyone would develop a staph infection from failing to bathe immediately after gym class, either. I just love the fact that if you want to find the *real* disinformation about transmittable diseases, go to your nearest school teacher/PE teacher/sex ed instructor. They've always been the number one source for disinformation to hapless teens, and it looks like things haven't changed much.

[not you]

don't these people know what happens in "jail house showers"/ gym showers?

Don't drop the soap. Because we all know there are those guys in the showers that will go after you.

anyone for watching "lets go to prison"?

[twerp]

bobbdogg, apparenetly YOU are misinformed. Wrestling mats are nasty and wrestlers come in contact with them every time they compete. There was a bad outbreak of ringworm with my old high school's wrestling team. One guy even had it on his face--now, whether or not showering immediately will prevent infection is another thing altogether.

[wank]

I never showed after football practice in high school. Bad enough that some of my team-mates were hung like proverbial mules, but... well, I guess that says it all.

[bobbdogg]

Twerp, it makes no difference where the wrestlers caught the ringworm fungus from. The point is it cannot be transmitted *only* by coming into contact with the live fungus itself, which is *most* likely from an infected animal or human. While ringworm 'spore' could conceivaby live (briefly) on a surface contaminated by contact with an infected area, it's not likely, so the gym coach would have been better advised to simply ban infected players from the team as players would have run the greatest risk from direct physical contact with *them*. And showering immediately afterward wouldn't prevent the outbreak of it once the person came into contact--ringworm is one of those skin diseases that are tricky--some people are highly susceptible, others can come into direct contact with it and not be affected. While I'm all for good personal hygiene and clean surroundings, it's still spreading disinformation when teachers tell kids that these particular types of infections are caused or spread by poor personal cleanliness.

[bobbdogg]

"The point is it cannot be transmitted *only* by coming into contact with the live fungus itself"

Typo alert--that should read "*can* be transmitted".

[MONKEYPUKE]

that is the kids personal choice. the coach has no right to use Nazi scare tactics

[jdotglenn]

This is the reason I took ballroom dance in high school.

[Max Headroom]

@Midtown: the joke in my high school was that the geekiest guy (geekier even than me) was by FAR the... best equipped. "Hung like Chuckie" was a standard phrase.

[The Hermit]

Ironic thing is that some of these kids don't mind sending a pic of their privates all over the web to show their friends. Go figure.

[Lots43]

And why aren't we arresting these gym teachers yet?

[Scamp]

I get mini-migraines (headache, nausea, brain fog) from many fragrances. It's a good thing I'm much too old for high schools where students pour on cologne and perfume to cover up their adolescent perspiration.