ERIE – Many of the accusations against the Erie school district’s wrestling program involve hazing that took place during or after showering, when the targets often were naked.
Some may wonder why team members would want to even take showers if they were subject to abuse. After all, they don’t have to return to class afterward.
The Erie wrestling program, which is a cooperative with the Prophetstown-Lyndon-Tampico school district, mandates that showers be taken after practices and tournaments.
That’s not unusual: For health reasons, experts say wrestlers should shower immediately after wrestling.
According to MedPage Today, a study of 151 high school wrestlers in Minneapolis-St. Paul found those who used soap and water after a match reduced their risk of skin infection by 97 percent.
Wrestlers who wait longer to shower after practices and matches give more time for harmful germs to stay and grow on their skin, according to iSport.com.
Mitchell Mallary, the senior Erie wrestler who brought forward the hazing allegations, avoided taking showers after practice last year, his parents say.
Last month, he told school officials that coach Tod McCullough and a couple of his assistants had thrown ice and sprayed cold water at wrestlers who were showering. The coaches have admitted to that, but the school district said it was horseplay, not harassment.
Newer accusations also involve wrestlers being hazed while in various states of undress after showers. In certain instances, while wrestlers were getting dressed, upperclassmen would thrust their genitalia in younger teammates’ faces. At other times, wrestlers would urinate on others while showering, Mallary said.