Some people prefer to walk the path less traveled. Others want to wash their hair in the shower less used. It’s no secret that the showers in the Marian locker room aren’t the most desirable option.

But when you have to deal with volleyball practice before school and you look (and smell) like you just ran a half marathon, something must be done.

So when junior Becca Williams pulled back the curtain and faced the shower head in the home locker room, she was understandably skeptical. “I didn’t want my hair to be nasty all day long, so I figured I would just rinse some of that sweat out,” Williams reasoned. After briefly washing her hair and giving it a few seconds under the hand dryers, she was on her way.

To most students, the act of washing your hair in the locker rooms is taboo, let alone your entire body. But why? Marian may be known for lack of hygiene, but showering is part of just about every girl’s daily routine.

The only people who were truly qualified to answer this question were the ladies behind Marian athletics–Ms. Ronda Motykowski, Dean of Discipline, and Mrs. Melissa Brusnahan, head athletic trainer.

“There has never been a use for our showers,” Brusnahan said. Today, the locker room showers, built in 1997, are used for storage. “In all the years they’ve been here, they’ve been used four times.”

Both Motykowski and Brusnahan attribute the lack of use to inconvenience. Motykowski says, “For most athletes, they aren’t going to use the locker rooms unless they have a morning practice where they really sweat, or in special cases when an athlete is also in the musical.”

But aside from the aspect of inconvenience, there is another speed bump. “For girls especially, there is an ‘ew’ factor with using the showers. For boys, I don’t think there’s as much of a modesty issue.”