The equipment and laundry rooms provide basic services to department members and in-season athletes. Equipment room services include ordering equipment and gear for varsity teams, issuing and collecting uniforms, monitoring the condition of goods, and storage for game day issued gear. For teams with heavy equipment needs, designated coaches within those teams will be responsible to help facilitate this process. Laundry services include the washing and drying of team issued gear and practice clothes for in-season participants.
Student Athlete Responsibilities for College Issued Uniforms & Equipment
- Intercollegiate athletes are responsible for all issued uniforms, athletic clothing, supplies, and equipment they receive at the beginning of the season. Items are numbered and documented and should not be transferred between athletes unless the head equipment manager is notified ahead of time.
- Athletes must return all issued equipment on designated return day directly to the equipment room (DO NOT leave in the locker room, outside the equipment room door, with coaches, with teammates, in chute, etc.)
- Athletes will then be notified via email listing each missing item and the replacement cost. Students have 5 days to return these items or the student will be billed for the missing items.
- Replacement charges are two times the cost of the item when originally ordered. This charge is based upon the cost to reorder an individual item, instead of receiving a reduced rate for ordering items in bulk.
- Issued equipment will not to be sold to athletes. Athletes who are interested in purchasing items should consult their coaches at the beginning of their season to do a separate order for the item(s) if available.
- Athletes are responsible to place items they need laundered on their loop and place the loop in the laundry chute. Only items worn in competition or practices will be laundered. No personal items are allowed.
- Sweats should not be attached to loops.
- Uniforms should never be attached to loops.
- Towels should not be attached to loops. The issued numbered towel can be placed in the chute and it will be laundered and returned.
- Loops or towels left in locker rooms will not be laundered.
- All athletes are responsible for turning in their game clothing as follows:
- Home Contest: All players are required to place uniforms into the chute located next to the laundry room within 1 hour following the completion of their contest.
- Away Contest: All players are required to place uniforms into the chute located next to the laundry room after disembarking from your team vehicles upon returning to campus.
- Any items needed for practice (towels, socks, etc) should be placed on the individual’s laundry loop and placed in the chute.
- Athletic Equipment not returned on time will not be washed.
- It is the athlete’s responsibility to place all things to be laundered into the laundry chute.
- Colby is not responsible for missing or lost items.
- There is a lost and found in the laundry room, please check there for missing items.
General Information
Hours of Operation: The equipment room is open from 9:00am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday. Variations to the schedule will be posted on the equipment room door. Weekend support for home contests will vary depending on needs. Typically, the equipment room will be staffed 90 minutes prior to a home contests until the start time of the contest. The equipment room is not open on weekends when there are no home contests.
During approved College holidays when the College is closed, the equipment room will not operate at the normal schedule. The head equipment manager will communicate office hours with relevant in-season teams and arrange for alternate plans to support team needs.
Ordering Gear and Equipment: The head equipment manager must approve all uniform orders. Coaches should not place orders for uniforms without the head equipment manager’s approval. Uniforms must fit the style guide specifications relating to color, font and number placement.
The head equipment manager is available to help place orders for all team issued gear and equipment. Orders should be placed well in advance to the start of seasons. Due to delays in manufacturing and inventory levels, items may take longer to arrive. The head equipment manager will relay shipping estimates and any delays to the head coach.
The head manager is also available to facilitate the creation of team stores. Team stores are created and managed by an outside vendor. Coaches should work with the head equipment manager and sales representative to arrange for desired items and a time line for the store posting. Team store goods are not inventoried by the equipment room.
Issuing Equipment and Gear for Season Use: At the start of the season the equipment manager will issue practice gear and equipment to each athlete in consultation with coaches. These items are issued at the start of the season and collected and inventoried at the end of each season. The only items that are inventoried multiple times during the season are uniforms. If coaches would like items issued and collected throughout the season (sweats, travel suits, travel bags, jackets, etc.) that responsibility will be on the coaches of that team.
Coaches should coordinate with the head equipment manager to set a date and time for team gear pick up and a date and time for team gear return. Items should not be left in locker rooms or left unattended outside the equipment room.
- Equipment will be issued at the beginning of each season
- Issued items are numbered and are athlete specific and should not be exchanged with other teammates without informing the head equipment manager
- After the final competition of the season, teams have 5 days to arrange an equipment return date with the head equipment manager
- An equipment/gear turn-in date should be arranged with the head coach and the head equipment manager
- Athletes who do not return items on the return day will receive an email of noncompliance.
- After 5 days, the athlete will be billed for missing equipment at a rate of 2 times the cost of the item(s).
- Athletes then have 10 days to return the items and the cost will be removed from their bill.
- After the 10 days, orders will be placed for the missing items so no refund will be given.
Issuing Game Day Uniforms: Travel and/or competition rosters should be communicated by a coach to the head equipment manager 36 hours in advance of departure for an away contest or 36 hours before the start of a home competition. A late notification may require the support of a coach to help pull and match uniforms for the contest. Uniforms will be issued by identified numbers to specific athletes and will be checked out prior to each competition and inventoried after each competition. Missing pieces will be communicated to the athlete and to the coach as soon as possible. The equipment room staff is not responsible to track missing gear after the initial email. Athletes and coaches must ensure that missing pieces are returned to the equipment room so they can be laundered prior to the next competition.
Laundry: All in-season athletes and department staff are eligible to use laundry services. Each eligible member will receive a colored, numbered loop that is assigned to them specifically. Athletes/department members should attach items to be laundered onto the loop and place in the laundry chute. Towels are issued by number to each athlete. Towels should not be tied to loops. Towels may be placed loosely in the laundry chute for cleaning. Equipment room staff do not check locker rooms for loops or towels. It is the responsibility of the user to place the loop and towel into the laundry chute for cleaning.
The department uses a cubby system to distribute loops and towels. Because of limited cubby numbers, some teams may have laundry delivered directly to their locker rooms. This choice is communicated each season between the head equipment manager and the head coach of each team.
As items are washed and dried they will be returned to the cubbies or to the appropriate bin or hanging rack in the locker room. There is a 24-hour turnaround time for loops to be returned to the cubbies or locker rooms.
Practice and competition schedules should be submitted to the head equipment manager so she can plan appropriate coverage. Changes to schedules may prohibit a team’s ability to have clean laundry in time for the next practice or contest. Contact the head equipment manager directly with any changes to practice or competition schedules as soon as the change is known.
*Coaches are reminded that if they have a late evening practice followed by an early morning practice there might not be ample time for the laundry room staff to prepare the team’s gear. Please make special arrangements directly with the Equipment Manager.
(see Colby Athletics Policies & Procedures)