Co-ed locker rooms?

[kosydar 0]

http://vancouver.cbc.ca/regional/servlet/V...-locker20050712

What do you guys think? Speaking from personal experience, I don't like having girls in the locker room at all. In my four years in midgets I had a girl on the team three years, including one year with two girls. At my rink there is a womens locker room so they'd always get dressed in there, and then come into our room with 10-15 minutes before practice or the game began, and likewise for after the game. However, most rinks we played at on the road didn't have this luxury, so they'd get dressed in our room. It was a major inconvience for both of us. The girls had to get all their undergear on in the bathrooms, and then the guys had to wait to change until the girls were out of the room. It got to the point where we ended up just getting undressed infront of the girl, even though our coach got pissed. Luckily she had a good attitude about it. I think when the kids are younger its not a big deal, but at peewees or bantams it should probably stop. I have absolutely no problems with girls playing on guy's teams, but having girls dress in guys locker rooms is only asking for trouble. We all know what happens in there, and that is a huge liability if there is a member of the opposite sex in the room.

[Dangles 0]

I've only ever had this situation three or four times. I'm willing to agree with this one, Kosy. Your obviously going to see 'it/them" in your life so why not let them do it. Team bonding can also take place in the dressing room like that's where you can socialize and if your left out maybe the chemistry on the ice may not wokr out that well.

"If you haven't seen if before, you won't know what it is. If you have, you won't be surprised"

By the way, Lumby is just 10 minutes from where I'm typing this right now. It's a tiny little town.

[kosydar 0]

I think that what the coach in the article said is key,

He says separate change rooms have nothing to do with discrimination, and everything to do with avoiding the possibility of harassment.

[Dangles 0]

When there's 13 - 15 more guys in the changeroom, is something like that really going to happen. You just can't have everyone in the bunch being bad. There's going to be a few good kids here and there.

[kosydar 0]

All it takes is one bad joke from one bad kid that will completely ruin an entire youth organization. People don't take sexual harassment lightly at all, and if you ask me, this is one of those situations which is just asking for it. We'd all like to think that girls and guys can share a dressing room without any incidents happenening, but unfortunately that can't happen.

[jrhky36 1]

depends on how the girls look.

it could be like the shower scene from startship troopers.

but in reality i don't like it. the locker room is one place where the guys/girls should be seprated.

[AtlantaThrashers01 0]

i think it depends on age....such as like 10 yr old shouldnt and older guys like 16-17 in my opinion wouldnt be that fazed about it.....like think about all the sexual TV programs going on so im not really sure....its fine the way it is now

but personally it wouldnt matter to me...im 16 almost 17 and girls in a change room would be alright

[Dangles 0]

At that age though, people should be old enough to make mature decisions.

[Cavs019 708]

Every locker room i've been in/team i've played for we talk about the filthiest stuff, if anything the female would be EXTREMELY uncomfortable as most morons would not acknowledge her presence in regard to spewing JHB-esque banter.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I just don't like it. I don't like girls playing in boys leagues, I don't like girls being allowed in their rooms, I don't like this lady changing. "It's their right to be in the change room. It's not a privilege". Thats garbage, its a privilege her daughter is even allowed to play, would they allow me to play on a Womens team? Hell no. What about something like Ringette, which is only available to females? Still highly doubt it. I've been showering since I was 10 years old, I doubt its something she'd want to see. I was completely naked under my pads at that point (14 years old) as well. They should look at it as being a guest in someone elses house. You don't go in and impose, and thats exactly what they are doing. There are other options, she has been given rights beyond equal oppurtunity and she keeps pushing. If I was the daughter, I'd be unbelievably embarassed and I wouldn't want to hang out with a bunch of 14 year old half naked guys. It can't be very attractive for her, at I couldn't imagine how uncomfortable I'd be.

[AtlantaThrashers01 0]

youve made some really good points eazy but alot of girls play in boy leagues and such....wasnt there a goalie in the NHL that was a girl? for tampa or sumthng? If we dont hav something like the WNHL then where do they go? another example i could think of is a girl golfer, i think she was oriental just dont remeber her name, but she played in a boys league also

"There are other options, she has been given rights beyond equal oppurtunity and she keeps pushing" but she is also being taken away by equal opputunities also...

[Eazy_b97 1]

Michelle Wie (the female Golfer) played on the Mens tour this past week, she didn't even qualify, she was a special invite. She didn't do terrible, but she isn't the best female golfer.

There are Womens Pro leagues, there's womens junior A, theres womens olympic teams, theirs university teams. I watched the past Junior A tournament, 60 teams, girls aged 13-20, high calibre hockey. Where is it she can't play?

If she wants to play there for the higher calibre, she has to fit into their rules. There are other options, she is just choosing to force a difficult decision. If there was no other options, I could understand, but girls hockey is not a joke, if she's serious about hockey, play high calibre girls hockey. If you are set on playing boys hockey, play it, but don't force them to change because you want to do things your way.

How or what is she being taken away from? Everything she doesn't "have" she could. She wants to feel as "part of the team," including the dressing room, play with a female team. If she feels there aren't any around, try to get some room and board elsewhere.

This whole thing is a joke.

[kosydar 0]

I forgot to mention what my rink did for the women. They were being proactive and built the women a locker room. But because there wasn't any pipes, they couldn't get showers in there. So the women bitched until the rink gave them the ref's locker room, which has one small shower. Now us refs are stuck in a closet with no shower, which isn't the end of the world, but it sucks. So now the women have 2 locker rooms, the one which was made specifically for them and is as big, if not bigger than every other one, and the ref's one with a shower.

[kosydar 0]

Michelle Wie (the female Golfer) played on the Mens tour this past week, she didn't even qualify, she was a special invite. She didn't do terrible, but she isn't the best female golfer.

There are Womens Pro leagues, there's womens junior A, theres womens olympic teams, theirs university teams. I watched the past Junior A tournament, 60 teams, girls aged 13-20, high calibre hockey. Where is it she can't play?

If she wants to play there for the higher calibre, she has to fit into their rules. There are other options, she is just choosing to force a difficult decision. If there was no other options, I could understand, but girls hockey is not a joke, if she's serious about hockey, play high calibre girls hockey. If you are set on playing boys hockey, play it, but don't force them to change because you want to do things your way.

How or what is she being taken away from? Everything she doesn't "have" she could. She wants to feel as "part of the team," including the dressing room, play with a female team. If she feels there aren't any around, try to get some room and board elsewhere.

This whole thing is a joke.

My favorite are the girls who want to play midget hockey with boys, but get pissed off when guys hit them. I can remember multiple occasions where girl's parents have gotten into arguments with referees and/or rink managers because their daughters are being treated unfairly on the ice. In Canada or a place where there is a lot of hockey, I simply don't understand why a girl would choose to play on a guys team. With the development of women's hockey, its not like there aren't good places for them to play. However, in places like Eugene where I live, we have one midget team, so its understandable why we've had girls who have played.

[Eazy_b97 1]

I just don't get it. I know a few high level female players, they all dropped out after PeeWee (got 1 year of contact) or earlier before going to girls hockey, and then took it from there. At 14, she can play girls hockey, ringette and do both for high school as well. That's alot of exposure if she wants to be seen, and alot of time to socialize.

For the contact part, I've played with and against alot of girls, they range from thinking they are lucky to play with boys, to the other extreme. It got so bad the one year, my friend was constantly getting stuck by these two girls (he's a good inline player), so after about 3 or 4 "Cup checks" he just tossed her stick over the glass.

I really don't have problems with girls in boys leagues, at a recreational level or at a levle they can't get, but when you have the options they do they should look elsewhere. On top of it all they would be pressing 15-16 boys into an incredibly awkward position so 1 person can feel better, thats not right.

[A_Steeves12 0]

my team played agiant a few team that had a girl. most of them where good, i really dont have any problem with girls and guys playing in the same league. i know that one of the girls SMOKED me. as for being aloud in the same dressing room i dont know about that. i mean it has potential(sp?) for being awkward for both parties. I know that girls probably wouldnt like the talk the goes on in the dressing room.

[Squirrel 0]

The girl on my team was really good about getting changed elsewhere. Heck, if the lobby bathroom was taken she'd go to the car and get ready there and wait outside our dressing room until the guys were dressed and then came in to tie her skates. ;)

[Miike 1]

Personally i think they should be allowed in the same rooms, Because we've all seen the birds and the bees before, and like 99% of the time theres coaches in the room. So nobodys going to go to the girl and like feel her up when they have coaches in the room, and by the time your in like Midget you should be mature enough to handle this.

[freq019 0]

I don't know about that last post, some times coaches are the problem too (see colorado football team) and I don't think I'd want my daughter changing in front of boys or grown men. Not everyone is a pervert but it only takes one to cause irreversible damage. I've been to some stick and puck sessions where the rink has a men's and a women's dressing room but mom's peek in to check on their boys and some dad's bring their daughters in, its just awkward.

[trucks 0]

Its not so much seeing the body parts as it is the conversation that goes in. Like mentioned before some of the comments made in dressing rooms can get dirty and may offend a 15 year old girl and Im sure she has no idea of this and if she is let in shell soon realize cause I dotn see 15 year olds toning it down casue a girls in there now. And as soon as one comment is made shell tell her mom and her mom will want her taken out of the room again. And by the looks of her mom in the picture and the article the mom seems like a bitch who will start up a hrassment suit after she fought to get in the room.

[Miike 1]

I don't know about that last post, some times coaches are the problem too (see colorado football team) and I don't think I'd want my daughter changing in front of boys or grown men. Not everyone is a pervert but it only takes one to cause irreversible damage. I've been to some stick and puck sessions where the rink has a men's and a women's dressing room but mom's peek in to check on their boys and some dad's bring their daughters in, its just awkward.

Yea thats true

[CardinalHcky19 0]

Whenever I had a girl on my team they were have way dressed before they even came to the rink

[hockechamp14 0]

I've been to some stick and puck sessions where the rink has a men's and a women's dressing room but mom's peek in to check on their boys and some dad's bring their daughters in, its just awkward.

I play prep so we have our own locker room, yet our self-proclaimed team parent seemed like she was obsessed with being in the locker room. :lol: Honestly, none of us made a big deal as far as changing, but we were considerate enough to change our conversation somewhat while she was in.

Also, I've played with girls a lot when I was in mites and squirts, and we had no problems with girls in the locker room then. It seemed ackward though that one of them wore her shorts under her pads, I guess she didn't feel comfortable then, but both of the girls were really part of the team.

[biff44 0]

Interesting thread. It sure looks like the cat is out of the bag and you will see more women playing on mens teams. I think NOW is the time for USA Hockey to issue a strong suggestion to rink owners that they all add a changing room, similar to the space reserved for refs, in new rinks or remodelling jobs so that the 1 or 2 women on a team can have a changing/shower area appropriate for them.

[JR Boucicaut 3801]

At my old rink we had a locker designated for women. If they played on a competitive team, they would change there and make it to the team locker room for pregame speeches and the like. Most of the adult women changed with the guys - I was always courteous and stripped in the bathroom.