November16,2016

Dr.FayneeseMiller
President
HamlineUniversity
1536HewittAve
St.Paul,MN55104
DearPresidentMiller:
IamdelightedtoinformyouthatIhaveaccomplishedmygoalofcompletingastudyonthe
feasibilityofconstructingalockerroomfortheHamlineUniversitygymnasticsteam.Itiswith
greatpleasurethatyouhaveallowedmetoconductthenecessaryresearchonthistopicinorder
toformaconclusion.ThisprojecthasbeenanexpansionofwhatIamaccustomedtonormally
creatingwhenmakinganeducateddecisionthatwillhavefinancialramifications.
TherearemanyreasonsastowhyIdecidedtopursuethisproject.Iamcurrentlyonthe
HamlineUniversitygymnasticsteamandhavebeenforthepasttwoyears.Itisimportanttome
thatthestudentsatHamline,especiallythestudentathletes,havetheadequatefacilitiestoallow
forasuccesslearningenvironmentinandoutoftheclassroom,aswellasonandoffofthefield.
Ifeelasthoughallsportsshouldbegivenequalopportunitiesintheirfacilities.
Researchforthisprojectfirststartedwithsecondaryresearchinthelibrary.Thesecondary
researchprovidedmewithmanyusefulsourcesandinformationregardinglockerroomsand
otheraspectsbeneficialtotheoccupants.Typicalpricesoflockerroomconstructionandthe
componentsofabeneficiallockerroomwerealsoresearchedtoaidinthefinancialportion.
Therewerestillquestionsthatneededtobeanswered,soItooktoprimaryresearchcreatingand
administeringasurveytomyfellowclassmates.Theanswersfromthesurveyprovidedmewith
importantfirsthandinformationfromHamlineUniversitystudents.
Uponreviewingtheinformationfoundandconsideringtherawdata,Iwouldrecommendthat
HamlineUniversityconstructalockerroomforthegymnasticsteam.Theresultofthis
constructionwouldbetheaidinstudentathletephysicalhealth,mentalhealth,sportperformance
andschoolrepresentation.
Iwouldliketothankyouonceagainfortheopportunitytostudythefeasibilityofanopportunity
andissueclosetothelivesofmyselfandmyfellowstudents.Thisprojecthasallowedmeto
furtherdevelopmytechnicalwritingskillsaswellasresearchskills.Thepresenteddata
throughoutthisdocumentshouldprovideyouwithsufficientevidencetoconcludethata
gymnasticslockerroomisbothfeasibleandbeneficial.
Sincerely,

Runninghead:CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINEGYMNASTICSLOCKERROOM
AlyssaHuch
ahuch01@hamline.edu

ConstructingaHamlineGymnasticsLockerRoom:AFeasibilityStudy
AlyssaHuch
HamlineUniversity
November16,2016

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

Abstract

ThefeasibilityofconstructingalockerroomfortheHamlineUniversitygymnasticsteamwas
studiedinthispaper.Aspectsofalockerroomalongwiththebenefitswereresearched.Upon
conductinglibraryandsurveyedresearch,itwasfoundthatalockerroomwouldbebeneficial
forstudentathletesinthesensethattheywouldhaveaspottostorealloftheiritemsforpractice.
Thestudentathleteswouldhavetheirownspacethatisoutofthewayofothersandavailableto
themwhennecessary.Theconceptofagymnasticslockerroomwassupportedbyover75%of
surveyedHamlinestudents.Constructionofalockerroomwouldbefeasibleforthegymnastics
teamofHamlineUniversity.

TableofContents
TableofContents.............................................................................................................................3

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

Introduction......................................................................................................................................4
Methods...........................................................................................................................................7
Introduction..................................................................................................................................7
ResultsofResearch......................................................................................................................7
CompletedWork..........................................................................................................................8
Results............................................................................................................................................10
OccupancyofaLockerRoom...................................................................................................10
SupportforaLockerRoom.......................................................................................................12
Conclusions....................................................................................................................................14
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................15
References......................................................................................................................................16

Introduction

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

HamlineUniversitycurrentlyhaslockerroomsformanyofitsdivisionthreeathletic
sportssuchasfootball,basketball,soccer,lacrosse,trackandvolleyball.Thesportslistedas
havingtheirownlockerroomdonotincludetheoffcampusathleticswhichalsohavelocker
roomsattherespectedplayingarea.HamlineUniversitysfacilitiesdonotcontainalockerroom
forthegymnasticsteam.Lockerroomsincludeatminimum,adrylockerandteammeetingarea
(Patton,2014).Commonlythereareotherareassuchasashowering,toilet,andteamlounge
area.Alockerroomforthegymnasticsteamshouldbeconstructedtoaidinthebenefitofthe
teamssuccessforgymnasts,theprogramandHamlineUniversity.
Asofrightnow,thereisnoteamlockerroomofferedtothegymnasticsteamatHamline
University.Therearehoweverlockerroomsofferedspecificallyforotherathleticsportsofthe
Universitywhichincludefootball,soccer,volleyball,lacrosse,track,andbasketball.Thereisa
significantneedfortheconstructionofalockerroomforthe27womenontheHamline
Universitygymnasticsteam.
Currently,theHamlineUniversitygymnasticsteamutilizesthegenerallockerroom
intendedforthepublicoftheUniversity.Thereisatoiletspacewithtwotoilets,ashowerarea,
andadrylockerarea.Thedrylockerareahasthreesectionsoflockerswithabenchineach.
Nonethelessthegymnasticsmembersarenotallowedtostoretheirbelongingsinthelockers
overnightwithoutpayingafee.Becausethegymnastsdonothavespecificspacetostoretheir
equipment,theyhavetobringtheirnecessitiesforpracticesuchashairbrushes,hairties,
deodorant,leotards,grips,braces,waterbottles,andtennisshoestopracticewiththemeachday.
Theteampracticesfrom3pmto6pmeveryMondaythroughThursdayand2pmto4pm
everyFriday.Anothercommonproblemwithnothavingadesignatedspaceisthatthepublic

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

lockerroomisclosedtothepublicattimeswhereanopposingteamofanotherathleticteam
suchassoccer,hasagame.TheonlyotherbathroomnearthegymnasticsgymnasiuminWalker
FieldHouseisdownthehall,aroundthecorner,andfurtherdownthenexthall.Thereareonly
twostallsavailableinthebathroom.Allofthesefactsbeingsaid,thespaceisnotcompatible
with27studentathletesoccupyingthespaceofWalkerFieldHouseonadailybasis.
In20152016,therewere2,122undergraduates.Ofthe2,122,516studentswerealso
studentathleteswhoparticipatedinacollegiatesport.Ofthestudentsthatcompletedmajorsin
2016,18.7%weresciencemajors(HamlineUniversity,2016).Onenecessaryandtime
consumingcomponentofsciencemajorsislabs.Thelabsforscienceclassesareeitherfrom8
am11amor1pm4pm,whereithasbecomemorecommonthatthelabsbefrom1pm4pmin
additiontoclassesthatoccurfrom12:40pm3:40pm.Thismeansthatgymnastswhomust
comelatetopracticefromtheirlabsorclasseswillbecarryingnotonlytheirgymbagsfor
practicebutalsotheirbackpacks.Iftherearemultiplegirlsthatcomeinafterclassorlab,there
arecommonlynotsufficientamenitiesforthemtochangeandprepareforpractice,causing
practicetimetobefurtherdelayedforsaidathletes.
Therearetypicallyfourspacesofanathleticteamslockerroom:atoiletarea,ashower
area,adrylockerarea,andateammeetingspace/lounge(Patton2014).Currently,the
gymnasticsteamatHamlineUniversitybringstheirbelongingssuchastheirgymbags,back
packs,clothing,shoes,andcoatsintothegymandsetitallnexttothelowbeamandvault
runwayagainstthewalltotheleftofthemaindoorinaspacethatis2x16.Thereare27girls
onthegymnasticsteamwhobringatleastonebagwiththemtopracticeeverydayleavingno
extraspacetostoreanythingelse.Alotofthetime,thearticlesandbagsalsohappentogoover

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

ontothevaultrunway.Thesebagsontherunwayareadistractionandnegativelyaffectthe
safetyofthegymnastsattemptingtoperformthelowbeamandvault,aproblemthatcouldbe
avoidedwiththeuseoflockers.
Duringtheseason,OctoberthroughMarch,itiscommonfortheteamtoutilizeaniPad
forvideoreviewofskillsandroutines.Videoanalysisallowsforthecoachandathletetoview
theskillsattemptedfromdifferentviewswithouttherepetitivetiringmotionoftheathlete.The
analysisalsoallowsforthecoachandathletetoandanalyzethewholeroutineaftera
competitionorpractice.Theabilitytostoptheframes,slowmotion,andhighshutterrates
allowsforthecaptureofcriticalmomentsinaskill(Cassidy,Stanley,&Bartlett,2006).
CurrentlyitisnotidealforthecoachestoreviewskillsonjustaniPad.Iftherewerethe
capabilityofhavingateammeeting/conferencecenterwithalargetelevision,theprocesswould
besmootherandmorebeneficialtoall.
Whenconductingmyresearch,Iperformedthefollowing:

ConductedsecondarylibraryresearchusingSummondatabasewiththekeywords
ofbenefitsoflockerrooms,collegelockerrooms,componentsoflocker

rooms,benefitsofvideoanalysisinsports,andbackpacksweightcollege
Conductedprimaryresearchbydistributingasurveytofellowclassmates

Withallofthisinmind,Iwillfurtherexplainmymethodsofresearch,myresultsofmy
libraryandsurveyedresearch,myconclusionstoqualitativeandquantitativedatafound,my
recommendationsbasedontheinformationandalistofsourcesIutilizedduringmyanalysis.

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

Methods
Introduction
OnOctober16,2016,Ireceivedpermissiontoproceedwithresearchingmyprojectofthe
feasibilityofconstructingalockerroomfortheHamlineUniversitygymnasticsteam.Ithen
beganmysecondaryresearchprocessbysearchingforpeerreviewedpublishedarticlesand
booksthroughHamlineUniversitysdatabasessuchasSummoninadditiontoGoogleScholar.
Tobegin,Istartedbysearchingageneralphraseofbenefitsoflockerroomsin
Summon.Theresultsofthissearchwereallovertheboardwithover100,000results.Ithen
narrowedmysearchdowntocollegelockerroomswhichgavemeaboutover50,000hits.
Realizingitwouldtaketoomuchtimetosortthroughalloftheseresults,IconcludedthatI
neededtochangethefocusofmyresearch.
IthendecidedtoresearchcomponentsoflockerroomsinnotonlySummonbutalso
GoogleScholar.Ifoundabout10,000results.TherewerestilltoomanyresultssoIthentriedto
searchmorespecificallyformyfeasibilityquestion:componentsofgymnasticslockerroom.
Searchingsuchphraseallowedfor200journalarticles.Fromthesecomponentsfound,I
continuedmyresearchbysearchingbenefitsofvideoanalysissports.Withtheseresults,I
immediatelyfoundsourcesthatfitintomytopicperfectly.Inaddition,Ialsosearched
backpacksweightcollege.Thissearchalsoallowedformanysourcesthatfitperfectlyintomy
topic.
ResultsofResearch

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

First,Iwilldiscussmycompletedworkbelow.ThisoutlinesthespecificsourcesIhave
researchedtoassistinansweringwhetherornotitisfeasibleforHamlineUniversitytoconstruct
alockerroomforthegymnasticsteam.Next,Iwilldiscussmyfutureworkthatneedstobe
conductedinordertofullycompletemyfeasibilityreport.
CompletedWork
Afternarrowingdownmysearchcriteriatomultipleaspectsofalockerroom,Ilocated
sixarticlestohelpdeterminethefeasibilityofbuildingalockerroomforthegymnasticsteamof
HamlineUniversity.Patton(2014)notedthatmostcontemporaryteamlockerroomshavefive
primaryspaces:ashowerzone,atoiletzone,adrylockerarea,ateammeetingspaceandoftena
teamlounge.Suchastatementwillassistmefurtherinmyfeasibilityresearch.
Fortheaspectofthevideoanalysis,Ilocatedanimportantstudythatservedrelevantdata
tomyresearch.Thestudywasdoneongymnastsandlookedattheeffects/benefitsofvideo
analysisinperformance.Astatisticfromthestudythatwilldrivemyresearchandwillserveme
wellisthattherewasameanincreasefromthebaselineacrossthegirlsskillsof53%(Boyer,
Miltenberger,Batsche,etal.,2009.)Knowingthesestatisticsofthebenefitsofvideoanalysis,I
willcontinuetoexaminethisinformationmoreindepthinrelationtootherarticlesregardingthe
videoanalysisinsports.
Finally,Ilocatedastudythatwillbeofparticularassistanceformeinregardsto
backpackweightandphysicalharmtoonesbody.Palmer,etal(2011)foundintheirstudythat
discomfortsignificantlyincreasedduetobackpackweight.Iexpectthatfurtherresearchinto
thisarticlewillassistmeinresearchingthebenefitsoflockerroomsandultimatelythefeasibility
ofalockerroom.

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM
Forthesecondaryresearch,IadministeredasurveytomyfellowclassmatesinKrista
SoriasIntroductiontoProfessionalWritingclassalongwithherotherIntroductionto
ProfessionalWritingclass.Surveysweretakenthroughagoogleforminwhichthelinkwas
sharedonaclassgoogledocument.Thesurveyconsistedof10questionsinregardstolocker
rooms,itscomponents,andtheopinionsofmy32fellowclassmates.

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

Results
OccupancyofaLockerRoom

4
0-1

92-3

5
4-5

6+

14
Backpackloadandweightis
anissueincollegestudentshealth.Theheaviertheloadofastudentsbackpack,themore
dangeritmaypotentiallycausethestudentandtheirphysicalhealth(Palmer,etal.,2011).
Figure1demonstratestheaveragenumberofbookscarriedinstudentsbackpackswhoare
currentlyinthefall2016ProfessionalWritingclassofKristaSoria.Surveysweredistributedto
32studentswhomrespondedaccordingly:44%ofstudentsrespondedthattheycarryaroundtwo
tothreetextbooksornotebooksintheirbackpackonanaverageschoolday.Tofollowthis,28%
saidtheycarryaroundfourtofivetextbook/notebooksand13%carryaroundsixormore
textbooks/notebooks.Themostsignificantpercentageisthat41%carryaroundfourormore
textbooks/notebooksintheirbackpackatonce.Thehighpercentagessuggestthatmanystudents

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

donothaveadequatetimeorspacenearcampusinrelationwiththeirschoolingand
extracurricularactivities,therefore,theirphysicalhealthisgoingtobeatharm.

Figure1.Averagenumberoftextbooks/notebooksperdayforHamlineUniversitycollege
studentsN=32

BenefitsofaLockerRoom
Overthepasttwomonths,Ihaveexaminedthebenefitsofconstructinganewlocker
roomforthewomensgymnasticsteamatHamlineUniversity.Imadereasonableconclusions
frommyprimaryresearchandsetouttosurveystudentsinmyprofessionalwritingclasswith
KristaSoriainadditiontohersecondprofessionalwritingclass.Researchshowedthathavinga
teammeetingspaceisanimportantaspectofalockerroom.Theresearchalsoshowedthat
videoanalysiswasbeneficialtothelearningandimprovementofskillsfortheathletesand
coaches.Basedonthesefindings,Isurveyedthetwoclassesonhowtheylearnedcoursework
materialbesttogetanideaofgenerallearning.Ofthe32respondents,77.4%saidthatthey
learnbestvisually,16.10%saidtheylearnbestwithauditoryaspects,and6.50%saidtheylearn

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM
bestwithothertechniques.Themostsignificantpercentageofthisdataisthatover75%ofthe
respondentslearnbestvisually.Ifeducators,coaches,andathleticdepartmentslearnhowtheir
students/athleteslearnbest,thestudentsandprogramscanimproveimmensely.This
improvementwillallowfortheschooltobemoreattractiveforpotentialstudentsanddonors.
7%
16%

77%

Visual

Auditory

Other

Figure2.MethodsoflearninginstudentsN=32

SupportforaLockerRoom

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

13%

88%

Yes

No

Duringmyresearchoverthe

pasttwomonths,IhavesurveyedstudentsatHamlineUniversityontheiropinionsofwhether
theUniversityshouldprovidealockerroomforthegymnasticsteamornot.Figure3illustrates
thepercentagesofthethirtytworesponses.87.5%ofrespondentssaidthatyes,theHamline
Universitygymnasticsshouldhavealockerroom,where12.5%saidthatno,theHamline
Universitygymnasticsteamshouldnothavealockerroom.Thesignificantdatahereisthat
87.5%saidthattheteamshouldhavetheirown.Thisdatarepresentsthesupportwithinthe
Hamlinecommunityandknowledgeoftheneedforsuchconstruction.

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

Figure3.OpinionsinsupportoragainsttheconstructionoflockerroomfortheHamline
UniversitygymnasticsteamN=32

CostofaLockerRoom
Whenresearchingthemostcostefficientlockerstoputintoaconstructedlockerroom,it
wasdifficulttofindexactpricesofmanylockers.Simplestadiumathleticlockerswiththe
minimumaspectsareabout$484.70(APlusWarehouse).Iftherewere27lockersinthe
gymnasticslockerroom,theapproximatecostforthelockersthemselveswouldbe$13,086.90.
Atelevisionisanimportantpartfortheteammeetingroom.Ifa50televisionwasplacedinthe
teammeetingroom,thecostwouldbearound$300$400(BestBuy).Inaddition,showers
shouldbeplacedinashowerroom.Columnshowersallowformorespacetobesavedwithin
thelockerroomwithmoreathletestoshoweratonce.Thecostofshowerswasalsodifficultto
find,howevertheaveragecostofacolumnshoweris$5,000,whereanindividualpivotingwall
showerisabout$691(XPBLockers).
Therefore,itcanreasonablybesaidthatthestudentathleteswouldusethelockerroom
oftenstoringmanyoftheirbelongings.Thelockerroomcouldpotentiallyreaplargebenefitsfor
theteaminsideoftheirplay,andlast,thelockerroomissupportedbyalargenumberof
students.

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

Conclusions
Inconclusion,HamlineUniversitywouldbenefitfromconstructingalockerroomforthe
gymnasticsteam.Constructionofsaidlockerroomwouldallowfortheschoolsstudentathletes
tobenefitinmanywayssuchaspreventingphysicaldamagetothebodyfromheavybackpack
loads,increasedathleticperformance,andincreasedmentalperformance.Inadditiontothese
benefits,constructingalockerroomcouldraisethelevelofcompetition,monetarygiftsand
attractivenessoftheschooltopotentialstudentsanddonors.Withtheadvancesandincreasein
sports,theuniversityshouldkeepimprovingthefacilitiesavailabletothestudentathletesin
ordertohelpthembesuccessful.ConstructingalockerroomfortheHamlineUniversity
gymnasticsteamwouldallowthestudentathletestobemoresuccessfulmentallyandphysically
inthegymandout.Additionalresearchshouldbeconductedinordertodeterminewherethe
necessaryfundswouldcomefrom.

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

Recommendations
Inmyfutureresearch,IwillresearchthemostefficientspacefortheHamlineUniversity
gymnasticsteamtohavealockerroom.Iwillresearchthenecessaryspace,thespacethatis
availablewithinareasonabledistancefromthegymnasticsgyminWalkerFieldHouse,andthe
costitwouldtaketobuildthelockerroom.Forthecost,Iwilltakeintoaccountthecostof
flooring,lighting,toilets/showers/plumbing,handdryers,individuallockers,benches,tables,a
televisionwithiPadadaptabilityandelectricalpower.InmyfutureresearchIwillalsoalludeto
timeitwouldtaketoconstructalockerroomandwhatvariablesmaybeaffectedbysuch
construction.

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM

References
Boyer,E.,Miltenberger,R.G.,Batsche,C.,&Fogel,V.(2009).VIDEOMODELINGBY
EXPERTSWITHVIDEOFEEDBACKTOENHANCEGYMNASTICSSKILLS.
JournalofAppliedBehaviorAnalysis,42(4),855860.
Cassidy,T.,Stanley,S.,&Bartlett,R.(2006).Reflectingonvideofeedbackasatoolfor
learningskilledmovement.InternationalJournalofSportsScienceandCoaching,1(3),
279288
HamlineUniversityMajorsofBaccalaureateGraduatesbyGraduatingClass,2016.
Palmer,K.,Bauer,D.H.,Bowman,A.,&Magleby,J.(2011).Theeffectofbackpackweightand
positiononsubjectdiscomfortandforwardtrunkleanforcollegestudents.
PsycEXTRA

Dataset.

CONSTRUCTINGAHAMLINELOCKERROOM
Patton,J.D.(2014).SharingCanOptimizeTeamLockerRoomSpaceAthleticBusiness.
Rose,S.2016,EquityinAthletics.RetrievedOctober14,2016.
http://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/institution/details
Williams,D.J.(2007).Anexaminationofathleticidentity,sportcommitment,timeinsport,
socialsupport,lifesatisfaction,andholisticwellnessincollegestudentathletes(Order
No.3273333)
Wilson,B.D.(2008).Developmentinvideotechnologyforcoaching.SportsTechnol.Sports
Technology,1(1),3440.