Athletic locker rooms in student center get major upgrade

New lockers, new floors, new paint, new swag.

Athletic locker rooms in the Bremer Student Center are sporting a whole new look since getting a major upgrade earlier this year.

The project encompasses facilities for men’s and women’s basketball on the main floor, and men’s baseball, women’s softball and women’s volleyball on the lower level.

The Bremer Student Center is one of the oldest buildings on campus. The original part dates to World War II, according to Jennifer Gemmill, capital projects manager. The locker rooms, last painted in the 1970s, looked dated and dingy.

The Athletic Department purchased new lockers and rolled rubber flooring. Walls were painted in the Olympic College school colors. New LED lighting was installed. Aging ceiling tiles were replaced.

“That really brightened it up a lot,” said Gemmill.

Student athletes like basketball player Wayne Jamison, a sophomore out of Portland, OR, remember what it was like before the renovation.

“The new locker rooms give us a lot more individual space and privacy,” he said. “I like to say feel good, play good. It makes me feel like the college really cares about the basketball program which make us want to go out and play hard.”

Both men’s and women’s locker rooms were renovated. Kylee Walker, a sophomore on the women’s team also appreciates the upgrades.

“What I like most about the upgrades to the locker rooms is the new lockers because they allow us to be much more organized as they provide more storage space then our previous lockers did,” she said.

Shower stalls were cleaned up and leaky fixtures repaired. Bathrooms were updated. And as a security upgrade, locker rooms were outfitted with a new key card entry.

Meanwhile, the Athletic Department worked out an agreement with Nike for Olympic College swag to decorate walls and windows.

The upgrade has been a big morale booster for athletes, Gemmill said. “They love it. They have been so thrilled so excited.”

The cost, just over $300,000, was covered by student activity fees, which are managed and distributed by the Student Government of Olympic College.

Visit the OC Athletics webpage to find out more about Rangers Athletics!

Blog post by Christina Henry.