Did anyone in your secondary school ever use the showers?

[Soubriquet]

In American programs, teens are always shown using the showers after PE

I remember never seeing anyone using the showers at my school. At best, they were used for some groups of girls to change in semi privately. At worst, they were completely ignored.

So. Your school?

Yeesh. Having your teachers watch sounds very degrading.

I’m glad that doesn’t happen anymore

Ours were used by the bullies to douse the bullied.

This thread is a bit of a trigger.

@Pumpkinstace

Ours were used by the bullies to douse the bullied.

This thread is a bit of a trigger.

I’m sorry to hear that

Yes we had to use them. The teacher waited at the end.
This was late 70s/early 80s at a girls boarding school. However I think that the boarders were a lot more used to stripping off in front of others because they had dorms.

We never saw the PE teacher go into the staff shower. I think it was full of PE equipment.

I started secondary school in 96 and we had to use the. We had to change into a swimming costume and shower until we were wet from the shoulders down. If your forgot the costume you were made to use them anyway. They were all in one long block and the teacher checked that you were wet enough and if not you had to go back. Note needed to get out of them if on period. I don't think they were used past year 8. I shudder just at the memory!

Yes the popular girls using the showers as a changing room and the unpopular left outside!

Same at our school. Looking back I've no idea why this was seen as preferable, the showers were tiled and freezing cold at least the benches in the main changing had hooks to hang your bags on.

Yes, early 90s. All in a row, no cubicles. No choice, must have a shower - enforced by teachers.

Yep we had to use them. Towels had to be left on a hook at the entrance and we walked through a row of showers then back out the other side amd then back round to get towel. PE teacher supervised us.

Early-Mid 1990s.

We didn’t have a swimming pool at our school but in year 10 and 11 we had the option to take water aerobics and walk about 20 mins to the local swimming pool

Yes. You had to line up with a towel wrapped around you and the PE teacher would check to see if you had kept your navy blue PE knickers on and if so you were bellowed at and sent back to take them off and then get back in line.

I come from a long line of bolshy, strong minded people and even at 11 I could see that was wrong so of course I got mother up the school to have a word!

My get out of shower/jail free cars was the fact I had started my periods and for some daft reason that made me immune from being asked to take my PE knickers off or have a shower.

I was even allowed to decline from participating in PE when I had my period if I so chose to.

My mother must have scared the living daylights out of our headmaster!

Yes. You had to line up with a towel wrapped around you and the PE teacher would check to see if you had kept your navy blue PE knickers on and if so you were bellowed at and sent back to take them off and then get back in line.

Wtf?!! I’m glad your mum got involved. That’s horrifying

We had individual cubicles, you had to throw your towel over the top of the curtain so it could be seen by staff outside. There was a member of staff at the start of the showers directing you in and one at the end making sure you were wet. We learned to just splash our legs, chest are and top of our backs so we didn't have to actually dry all of our body. It was deeply distressing, not only the showering but the communal changing afterwards.

By third year we were in a different changing room and communal showers but were not made to use them. We were however sent out in all weathers, pouring rain, snow, hail, we were outside. Catholic mixed secondary miles from home. Thanks Mum.

We were forced to use them communally when I was 12. It was absolutely horrendous. I spent all week dreading it and had nightmares about it. Why on earth would a pubescent girl want to take off her clothes and have a communal shower naked with other girls? I moved school after a year in that school and had nightmares all through the summer holidays about whether I would have to do the same at the new school. Thankfully not.

Nope. We had a shower room with a row of showers in the girls changing rooms, guessing the boys had the same, but never saw anyone using them every.

Tbh there would never have been time after PE.

Never. They didn't even work. We all had to change in front of each other, and as a fat girl who was bullied, it was awful.

Yes we had to. We had to queue up, PE teacher stripped off out towel, we had to walk through then she would give you your towel at the other side. By this time she had already let 2 other girls in behind you. Only way you could get out of it was if you were on your period and had a note from your mum. If this was the case you had to say "shower" when they called the register, so everyone knew you were on your period. I guess they were monitoring we were only missing one shower a month. Awful. I remember being quite traumatised by it all as a shy 11 year old. Does this still go on?

No, no one ever used them. They were very open plan and little privacy. I never exerted myself enough in pe to need one anyway

Absolutely not (unless after swimming, with cossies on, but that was another building anyway), they were so open and public, not ideal for self conscious teenagers. In any case, even if they were luxurious private cubicles, there was never really enough time anyway, especially if you have long hair.

We were forced to (1983-1988)
PE teacher stood at one end and collected towels, then gave them back at the other end as long as we were wet
Barbaric

We were meant too but I don’t think anybody did, they were all open in a row, no curtains or cubicles. Bloody awful.

I wonder what it’s like now days. I hope it’s improved a lot because I think everyone is slightly (or more) traumatised by the PE lessons

I know there is never enough room or budget for everyone to have their own individual changing room with a shower attached but I do wish there was a way for young people to change in some form of privacy.

@Soubriquet

We didn’t have a swimming pool at our school but in year 10 and 11 we had the option to take water aerobics and walk about 20 mins to the local swimming pool

Ah yes, I've just remembered now that we had this option, well I think it was kind of compulsory, not sure, but anyway I managed to be on my period nearly every week. I used to bunk off PE lessons a lot. I don't think the PE teachers really cared as it must be such drag dealing with unenthusiastic participants.

@FluffMagnet

No. They were a big communal line. Absolutely no way would anyone have touched them. They got demolished and replaced with a single shower cubicle and some loos in the end. Much nicer but still I don't think anyone used the actual shower. No sure there would have been time anyway.

This (except for the demolishing bit, though I doubt they're still there now). The teachers never gave us enough time to get changed, let alone showered, and we were always late for our next lesson.

That and the fact we had wear running pants to actually do PE / games whilst the boys wore shorts, didn't have to shower and also got to walk home in their kit was totally ridiculous and sexist.
If I was a parent then I would have kicked up a stink.

No, although we sometimes used them to rinse our legs off if we were very muddy.

We didn't have towels though, so you had to dry yourself on scratchy blue paper towels, or do a dangerous hopping on one leg manoeuvre to reach the roller towel.