Before the athletes competing at the European Universities Games Zagreb – Rijeka 2016 go out to their sports venues to train or compete, the thing they often want the most are some fresh clothes. Fortunately, there is a three-person female laundering and drying team working at the Stjepan Radić student dormitory who make their wish come true.
The team deals not only with all the clothes and equipment of the participants, but is also at the service of referees and volunteers who are staying at the largest student dormitory in Zagreb.
The work is done during the day, but at the night as well, with night shifts organized during this great sporting event in Croatia. There are 3000 – 3300 people on average currently living in the dorm, so the workload is great, but everything has been going smooth so far.
For participants, the laundering costs 50 Kuna for up to 6 kilos of clothes, while volunteers and referees recieve the service free of charge.
‘We mostly wash jerseys, but in the last two days, there’s been other clothing as well. People have already been here for a while, and they need the clothes they wear laundered more often now,’ said Renata, one of the three women working in the laundry.
The rush hour is around lunch, and in the evening, between 19.00 and 21.00, when the three-person team is ready to work a bit harder, or even take an extra shift if necessary.
But the Games are not Renata’s first encounter with the laundry room. She works there the rest of the year as well, during the academic year, when the ‘rules of the game’ are a bit different, with a washing schedule that all students adhere to. During the Games, the laundering is done whenever it is needed, but despite that, there is no additional stress.
‘We just need to be careful not to lose anything, someone’s socks or some other piece of equipment,’ Renata added.
