What is one habit most bored students indulge in during the school day? The answer is lapping. Yes, lapping, the act of taking time off of class to stroll around the school. Is it technically allowed? No, not at all, but as the school days seem to be longer and longer and weigh on us more and more as the end of the year nears, a lap or two is a necessity. After four years of school it is easy to say that the oldest students are most known for their lapping lifestyle. Seniors weigh in on the activity with their experience and tips.
The overall consensus on why people choose to lap is simply boredom in a class that seems to drag on forever. Whether it be the subject matter or the teacher, the hallways call to students and provide a much needed escape. For senior Jessica Williams, her block and two period classes are the perfect ones to venture around during due to its length everyday. However, some students cannot even sit still for a one-period class.
“Procrastination. If I am not lapping I have to do work,” senior Erin Sweeney said. Sweeney was on her first lap of the day.
Though lapping seems like a natural progression for students as their years spent in this school increase, peer pressure can speed up the process of when a lapper’s journey begins. Senior Zach Youcha, stopped in the midst of his first lap, impressively incorporates a lap break each period into his daily schedule. Although his is a pro now, he claims to come from humble beginnings.
“My friends got me into it… I was friends with some seniors my freshman year and they were all lapping all the time so then they would come out and stand outside my class until I left to go lap with them. You know bad influences, I give into peer pressure,” Youcha said.
When hearing about lapping it may first appear that it is a lazy effort to avoid work, and while that has some truth to it, lapping can be a true art form as students orchestrate a pathway that avoids being caught by administrators without a required hall pass.
“Go on different floors. If your class is on the second floor, take a lap on the third floor. See what’s going on there. I like to choose different pathways, like take the longest route back to where I have to go eventually. Going up and down different stairs, mix it up.” Sweeney said.
In addition to the planning involved in this process, the actual physical requirement to participate is admirable. The stairs alone in this school are a workout, providing a way for students to stretch and move around while challenging them to think about strategy. Do these characteristics sound familiar to another category of activities? Yes, we might as well get ahead of the curve and label lapping as a sport.
Durations for lapping can have a wide range and seem to increase as the experience does.
“Then two turns into four… four turns into eight and it just kind of keeps on going,” senior Cooper Moss said. Moss was on his second lap of the day when stopped.
As one could assume, being alone for this lengthy stretch of time can be dull. Have no fear though, many students are down to lap alongside one another. Many seasoned lappers suggest grabbing a friend for the walk, as they can talk while taking a break. Lapping during a lunch period is especially prime as one can see friends from different lunch periods to pass the time.
Though teachers and administrators do not condone this rebellious activity, it is suggested that if they truly grasped its chill nature they would let it slide.
“I don’t think it is really that big of a thing. I think if the school were to try to get rid of lapping then I think that that would be frustrating. I feel like kids need just that little bit of a break, we are not out here digging around, we are just taking five minutes then we will go back to class. Let us be,” Moss said.
Lap or not, but it is a tempting option to think about next time a class attempts to bore you endlessly.
