Swimming naked in Buffalo public schools

[peter832]

I don't believe that just seeing a naked body would necessarily scar anyone. This thread was started to find out more information about how widespread the policy was in Buffalo and for how long it was practiced. As perhaps thousands of people went through the system, I was interested in what other people thought of it. I have mentioned swimming naked in grade school to some people who were surprised that this happened in a public school, but have since discovered through wikipedia that this might have been more common. I was trying to find out how many public schools around the country did it this way, and when they shifted.

[Achbek1]

Call me a prudish American but I have no desire to see the dangling giblets of men other than my husband.

[Deerhunter]

nice place. Ocho Rios, for the town, walking right on the road.

[peter832]

It seems to me that public school physical education swim class in Buffalo NY is different -- is much different than nudity in general -- in other countries, other situations. I don't feel that nudity is in any way wrong or weird, or that it harms people. But children need to feel that they can either participate or not -- that if they are not comfortable with nakedness, they are not strange or weird. In some hot springs Oregon where it is "clothing optional" people wear suits or not as they are comfortable. My children didn't care up until they were a certain age, and then they wanted to wear suits. What would be wrong or abusive --- would be to say --- "what's wrong with you?" and to make fun of them. It is a very delicate time in the development of children. It is the circumstance that can be abusive. In the case of swim class for P.E. nudity was required, and not something optional. In my experience, many young people are very uncomfortable with nudity -- especially around friends or adults.

[sabres07]

Like I said before, Clarence schools in the early 80's still had the boys swimming naked (at least 7th and 8th grade).

If I recall, I think the reason given to us was that the teachers were afraid that alot of wet swim suits would be left to mildew and rot in the gym lockers which would cause an unimaginable stench. At least that is how I remeber it....

[Shasta13]

If I recall, I think the reason given to us was that the teachers were afraid that alot of wet swim suits would be left to mildew and rot in the gym lockers which would cause an unimaginable stench. At least that is how I remeber it....

Maryvale did it too. I don't know when it stopped. But the stinky swimsuit thing makes no sense since we girls wore suits (our own, not supplied by the school). Many times the smell in the locker room would knock a buzzard off a poop wagon because of swimsuits fermenting in someone's locker.

[Eat My Gun]

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.

I still don't know what's worse, being forced to swim naked or being forced to wear a school provided bathing suit used by God-knows how many other kids.

[Eat My Gun]

The rationale certainly was that students would swim faster naked, at least in Ken-Ton. In fact, in the Kenmore day camp, run by the Ken-Ton school district in the mid to late 70's, a swimmer could not earn his gold swimming badge (the highest swimming award) unless he swam naked.

Also, a certain instructor, we'll call him Mr. S., would berate the boys who didn't want to swim naked.

I remember talking with my dad about it. He thought it was the most ridiculous thing he ever heard. He told me to tell Mr. S. I wasn't going to swim naked and if there was a problem with that, Mr. S. could call my dad and explain to him why he wanted me to do so.

I relayed the message. Mr S. left me alone after that. That was my first, and last year at Kenmore day camp.

Never got a gold swim badge, but Mr. S. never got to visually fondle me either.

[peter832]

Wow. That seems pretty amazing to me. So it seems that they allowed suits -- if you complained, but that you were shamed for using one. That seems pretty clearly abusive to me.

At least your dad backed you up. With me, I was younger, and didn't feel I could complain -- didn't even consider it. I was in 5th grade. I don't know if the parents ever complained. I don't think mine did.

I just had another memory of Windermere Elementary... I remember that we had some sort of health screening... and had to line up in our underwear, and walk on paths of newspaper... in the gym. What was that about? What would that have been? Do they do health screening these days -- en mass?

[NoCtUrNaL]

The rationale certainly was that students would swim faster naked, at least in Ken-Ton. In fact, in the Kenmore day camp, run by the Ken-Ton school district in the mid to late 70's, a swimmer could not earn his gold swimming badge (the highest swimming award) unless he swam naked.

I would think "freeballing it" would create drag. Or were you expected to use your joint as a rudder?

[NoCtUrNaL]

BTW....you can add the West Seneca School district to that exercise of exhibitionism.

[therising]

It does seem like a gay practice(kids swimming naked together), but it is all over, hasn't happen in 20 yrs.

For some reason, it seems that, up until the 80's, gayness could be right in your face, and you wouldn't even realize it...I mean, for some reason, no one ever knew that these guys were gay






But, people started catching on in the 80's:

[buffy]

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

Oh, that happened at Bennett in the early 70's.
Boys swam naked if they forgot their suits. It was tough getting out of swim. I remember because I got an "F" I refused to get in the water 1st period

[Trolls_r_us]

"you will swim faster naked"

Ahh, the rationale of a pedophile!

[Trolls_r_us]

Now that I think of it, though, when I was in college in the Adirondacks, I did cook for one summer at an all boys summer camp for rich kids from NYC, and every so often the kids (lead by the counselors) did what they called a "duke dip" which meant everyone jumped into lake Champlain naked for an afternoon swim....

It was a "tradition" going way back to the start of camp. Apparently swimming naked in a group has some roots everywhere.

But, I always thought that was odd.... imagine being some unsuspecting boater going by!

LOL