This November, the South’s boys’ hockey team said goodbye to their shared community locker room, which had little space, after raising money to redo their locker room at East Side Hockey rink. They were able to raise money by posting online and reaching out to family members, parents, alumni and local businesses to gain donations. Captain Lucas Reynolds specifically emphasised the need for their own space.
“Usually, when you know you play high school and high levels of hockey, you usually have your own room,” Reynolds said. “It’s easier, it’s more convenient. The girls had their own locker room. We kind of just had the community locker rooms that everybody shares.”
The team couldn’t have done it alone; parent Anne Gryzenia primarily ran the fundraising. Gryzenia helped encourage businesses and alumni to donate, along with running the team’s Instagram; goalie Avery Brooks believes she also played a significant role in keeping everything regarding the locker room organised.
“She was the one that kind of brought everything together and kind of helped set up everything to be very organised,” Brooks said. “She’s done a lot for our team, and she really helped to get her locker into where it needed to be, and raise funds.”
The locker room is named after Doc Hall, who was a South hockey alumni. It has many new exciting features, including a TV for watching film, a custom LED South logo, 2 mini fridges, stalls, and stick racks, which defensive player Patrick Balow ’27 believes makes the locker room feel like their own.
“The new locker rooms allow us to prepare by watching video and having energising snacks in our fridge to eat before games,” Balow said.
Even though each player now has their own room for themselves and their gear, they are able to be closer than ever before practice and games, allowing them to be a family more than a team.
“Having a locker room like this means a lot to us,” Balow said. “It allows us to be closer as a team and interact with each other.”
