A few tips to help you make the optimal locker choice for your facility.
During a student’s four years as an athlete, their athletic locker becomes their sanctuary. It’s the one place on campus that they don’t have to share. Therefore, when selecting new wood athletic lockers for your facility, it is important that you are well-informed on the many choices that come with choosing new lockers. Here are a few tips to help you choose wisely and to best benefit your athletes.
Type of Wood
Your choices would be particle board, medium density fiberboard (MDF) and furniture grade red or white oak, maple or cherry plywood. Locker rooms contain high levels of moisture on a daily basis, so particle board and MDF are not good substrates for this environment because they both act as sponges to moisture. Furniture grade plywood is virtually unaffected by normal locker room conditions and is designed to stand up to the daily use by today’s elite athletes. A facility manager knows this decision will impact lifecycle costs, which will save the university hard dollars over a lifetime of their investment.
Vertical Seams
You have options to remove the vertical seams. With straight panel lockers, make sure your locker includes a hardnose oak molding. A hardnose molding will tie your lockers together for strength and aesthetics. Do not accept an installation of lockers that has visible vertical seams.
Sleeper Base
If your facility has cement floors, you will need to use a cove base and seal the lower edge with a silicon bead. You do not want water to seep under the lockers over time. If the floor will be a rug or synthetic, use toe-kick material that will match the locker exactly.
Locks
Your choices are a hasp for a padlock, key lock, built-in lock and a digital lock. Most schools may also have pass-thru lockers for game day uniforms and practice uniforms. If using a built-in lock, know you can set up the player’s locker and the pass-thru locker with the same exact combination to make it easier on the player.
Accessories
Your options include engraved school logos, coat rods, upgraded coat hooks, padded seats, ventilation inserts, power/USB outlets and shoulder pad holders. Accessories sell the recruit and make the player’s locker feel like home.
Stephen Troyano is the collegiate athletic sales manager for List Industries. He can be reached at 843.371.4790 or by email at stt@listindustries.com.
