Athletes need more resources to increase prestige of BSM

The current BSM locker rooms arent big enough to accommodate student athletes.

Em Paquete

The current BSM locker rooms aren’t big enough to accommodate student athletes.

BSM is a school of amazing talent, especially when it comes to the expanse of sports available to students. While the majority of this athletic talent comes from hard work and natural ability, it all leads back to one place–the infamous locker rooms. Students are in and out of the locker rooms routinely, prepping for daily practices and games.

While the athletic ability of the school is exceptional, the locker rooms are subpar. Both boys and girls have expressed disdain for these areas, some even going so far as to change in their car instead. During the fall season, up to four sports could be occupying the girl’s locker room at once, that could include up to four teams for each sport. BSM sports bags litter the floor as girls cram together, attempting to prepare for practice.

Athletes continuously win state titles, making BSM a more attractive school to possible students, therefore helping increase BSM’s notability and prestige.

— Kailyn Pedersen

The dance team is the only sport that does not use these locker rooms regularly during the fall, but they do use the locker room before meets in the winter. The dance team has to attempt to do all of their makeup and hair before competitions in the locker room while other winter sports are changing. There is hardly enough space for athletes to change, but when you throw in dozens of girls sitting on the floor trying to do a full face of makeup in travel size mirrors, it becomes overwhelming.

The boys locker rooms are a similar story; their main locker room has an almost identical format to the girls. However, the boys have another separate locker room for cross country, basketball, and track. This second locker room is designated for one sport per season, and it is equipped with a carpeted floor and full size lockers. There is the same number of male and female sports and there is no male dance team, so it does not make sense for the boys to have more space to change and prepare than girls teams.

Three sports teams—boys football, girls soccer, and the dance team—won state last year. The school should provide more funds to make the locker rooms for both boys and girls more clean and comfortable. Athletes continuously win state titles, making BSM a more attractive school to possible students, therefore helping increase BSM’s notability and prestige. Athletes that practice daily and make the school look more appealing and competitive with their talent should at least have enough space to change and store their equipment—especially the girls who currently have one less locker room than their male counterparts.