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Thread: Swimming naked in Buffalo public schools

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    Swimming naked in Buffalo public schools

    I am doing some personal research about the practice of swimming in the nude for swim class in public school. I was at Windermere Elementary in the early 70s and remember swimming without trunks -- the girls (in their own class) were supplied suits by the school, but the boys were not. How long was this done in Buffalo? I have read accounts that it was done at a few schools in the Buffalo area. Did they do this in middle and high school as well? (I left town right before the 6th grade, so only know that this was the practice at Windermere Elementary until I was in 5th grade -- 1973). How many people experienced this during their childhood? Was it all over Buffalo, or just at Windermere? When did they stop doing this, and was there a reason? Was any teacher ever criticized for anything inappropriate?

    As an adult and parent now of children of school age, the thought of swimming nude for swim class today is unthinkable today, and most likely would be considered abusive. What were others' experiences with this in Buffalo? Is there anyone that attended Windermere elementary in the 70s that could shine some light on what the policy was when they attended?

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    Unregistered bigpoppapuff's Avatar
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    i'm pretty sure we swam naked at bennett...it didn't have a lasting effect on me...too bad it did with you...

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    Where is Bennet? What years?

    I'm curious about other's experience with this. Perhaps it's nothing. Thanks for the info.

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    Unregistered bigpoppapuff's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by peter832
    Where is Bennet? What years?

    I'm curious about other's experience with this. Perhaps it's nothing. Thanks for the info.


    main st....north buffalo....mid-60's

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    are u gay?

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    We did too, at Williamsville North, in the late 70's, early 80's.
    I always hated it.
    My gf, who is 14 yrs younger than me (29) thinks it's the most obscene thing she ever heard of, especially when you consider the crazy amounts of abuse that teachers have heaped on kids (over 2500 nationwide).

    WTF was that all about, anyhow????
    Let me articulate this for you:
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    Wow, that's amazing.. up until the 80s. Yeah, I think it is pretty amazing -- and the view of this certainly has changed a bit from that time. The people I've talked to about this swim class policy have all been pretty surprised that this occurred in a public school. Some people think it sounds abusive, especially since the girls got suits and we didn't. I wondered if there was any event that stopped this at some point -- like a teacher being fired for inappropriate behavior or something like that. I remember hating it also.

    It seems to me that most children would be uncomfortable with nudity in this situation, just changing would have been difficult enough for some of them, but to actually do an entire class in the nude would have been really uncomfortable.

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    Member HipKat's Avatar
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    HA!! Wanna talk about what would be deemed abusive now, once we were in the pool, naked and the girl's class came filing in.
    They had a schedule SNAFU.
    Think about how THAT would go over now
    Let me articulate this for you:
    "I'm not locked in here with them. They're locked in here with me!!"
    HipKat's Blog

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    Member Linda_D's Avatar
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    Gowanda Central had the same policy at least into the late 1970s.

    It sounds like it was SOP around WNY.

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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Swimming Naked in Buffalo Public Schools.

    Didn't Spaulding Gray have a book by that title?

    Seriously though, with all the perverts out there these days as a mother I would not want my kids swimming naked around anyone. That's just gross.
    I'm just here to make people laugh. And to confuse people. Oh, and to irritate people.

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    Yeah, I agree... with kids of my own, jeees, I know how hard it is for them to just do the locker room thing. I don't remember anything overt during classes -- other than the instructor asking for voluteers to do examples of the strokes. He would hold them around the waist while they demonstrated the strokes...it makes me uncomfortable to think about it today, actually.

    However, I've been told that this situation is very powerful for children (in a negative way) even without overt abuse. It was required, obviously, and none of the parents objected (that I know of) which left the kids feeling kind-of abandoned. There is a shaming aspect to it. I remember that we had to line up for attendance, I remember wanting to at least jump in the pool quickly. There was one poor kid in class who would cover his crotch with his hands when he was out of the pool. We made fun of him, but inside, I know I felt uncomfortable like he did but tried to pretend it didn't matter.

    And yes... I also remember the girls looking in the window... or just our fear of them looking in, maybe. I think there were small windows in the door to the hallway from the pool, yikes.

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    I attended Clarence schools and the boys definately swam naked in the junior high school (7th and 8th grades) in early 80's.

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    Is anybody else amazed by this? I thought initially that it would have been some archaic practice from the past, but to think it continued into the 80s is really a surprise to me. What would be the rationale for this -- I can buy the "it doesn't matter" "builds character" type of attitude from the 50 into the 60, and early 70s, but with awareness of sexual abuse, and lawsuits, it really surprises me this continued into the 80s. It also surprises me that it was done up until freshman year in high school. I know certainly that the grade school kids wouldn't complain, but the students didn't complain about it as they got older? That is a surprise to me.

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    Member Achbek1's Avatar
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    Maybe the school districts were just too cheap to buy suits?

    Seriously though, my brother in law took a trip to Greece and apparently in many foreign countries being naked around other people is SOP (to borrow a phrase from Linda) and they don't seem too freaked by it... However, in America we have more conservative values... Quite franky, I for one like the old conservative values and hope the we can hold onto them for as long as possible... But anyways...

    I think middle and high school is the worst time to be naked around other kids and adults, of the same or opposite sex. It's adolescence, when bodies are changing and the kids are self conscious to begin with.

    I too remember feeling weird and grossed out changing in the locker room when I was younger and going through puberty. It really makes things even tougher on kids, and puberty is tough enough. Some girls in high school used to also deliberately prance around in their skimpy underwear almost as if they were showing off... It was kinda sick, kind too Penthouse Forum-y.

    But today we now are aware of how vulnerable kids are, in all areas.

    Put the suits on!

    Note: Yes, I was known to walk by the gym to sneak peeks at the boys swimming team, but they had their swimming trunks and suits on! If they were naked, that'd be too much for anyone.
    I'm just here to make people laugh. And to confuse people. Oh, and to irritate people.

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    Member Eat My Gun's Avatar
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    I'm convinced that the entire physical education department in the Ken-Ton School District, and perhaps school districts everywhere in the mid to late 70's, were infiltrated by NAMBLA members.

    I was lucky enough to avoid naked swimming because I went to private schools, and luckier still to have dodged the pedophile priests. Most of my friends, however, weren't so lucky and, sadly, some still bear the scars.

    Wasn't the rationale for naked swimming that students would swim faster? Kinda lame if you ask me.

    Too bad no one filed a class action lawsuit before the statute of limitations passed.


    "I won't live by rules that make no sense to me." - Evan Tanner 1971-2008

    Transfixus sed non Mortuus

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