The words “WHERE EXCELLENCE IS TRADITION” are scribed across the inner walls of the Glenbard South Raider Stadium restrooms. Unfortunately, it requires a lengthy wait to read the high school’s motto. Located on Butterfield Road in Glen Ellyn, the ever-changing stadium, utilized for a plethora of sporting events such as high school football, soccer and track, appears to have forgotten one crucial upgrade. Long lines plague the minuscule restrooms and result in missing the event a person has come to see. Urgent changes to the Raider Stadium restrooms must occur to achieve the excellency that Glenbard South takes pride in.

    In 2012, Glenbard South finished a 2.1 million dollar project that replaced the field and track and reconstructed the sidewalks surrounding the stadium, according to Christopher Placek of the Daily Herald. Just recently, a new press box took the place of an old jewelry box sized eyesore that rested at the top of the home side bleachers. With an almost completely new stadium in place, Glenbard South’s next long overdue step must be to replace the dainty, insufficient restrooms.

            Located near the entrance of the stadium, one will find the outdated restrooms, usually with a line of parents waiting to return to their children’s game. During pauses in play, such as halftime of a football game, the crowds of grandparents, parents and kids flock to the bathrooms to avoid missing the action.

          The men’s bathroom holds just two urinals and a singular stall. Similarly, the women’s bathroom lacks the size to account for the hundreds of fans. While the need for renovations mostly centers around the more popular football games, upgrading the size for the bathrooms also will improve the ability to host large scale events such as state playoff games across multiple sports.

         Glenbard South appears to have recognized this flaw and has provided porta-potties. However, the portable stations are a nuisance that often ooze out a grotesque smell and are considered unsanitary by most people. On top of that, with football games occurring at night, visibility decreases in the dark porta-potties resulting in added difficulty.

    While new turf, a new track and a fancy press box are wonderful attributes for a high school stadium, Glenbard South must address something that everyone needs to do—use the bathrooms. A daily occurrence should not take significant time away from enjoying high school athletics. To optimize the viewing experience at Raider Stadium, renovations to the concession’s restrooms cannot come soon enough.

           There is nothing special about going to the bathroom, but in this case, Glenbard South’s reconstruction of the restrooms can achieve excellence.