Competitive Swimming

[TigerTeam]

A while back we attended a swim meet at the Nike headquarters located west of Portland. One of my college friends was there with her son who was competing in the junior bracket (age 14 or so). After observing the kids I first realized that I've never swum that fast in my life. But then I noticed the swimwear. I asked her how the kids deal with being around so much revealing swim attire. She said they just get used to it. I couldn't believe it - both the boys and girls were in such skin tight suits there was little to the imagination. Whatever the girls felt about keeping covered it was not apparent. You could practically see the outline of their pubic mound through the fabric. The guys were pretty obvious too. Not much body shame there I think.

[Fuzzy Nuts]

at one time competitive male swimmers swam nude. Dont think the gals did. this would be back in the 50's and 60's

[Ken Palmer]

Actually, your friend is right. They do get used to it just as we nudists get used to seeing each other in the nude. Mental conditioning I guess.

Ken Palmer


Originally posted by TigerTeam:
A while back we attended a swim meet at the Nike headquarters located west of Portland. One of my college friends was there with her son who was competing in the junior bracket (age 14 or so). After observing the kids I first realized that I've never swum that fast in my life. But then I noticed the swimwear. I asked her how the kids deal with being around so much revealing swim attire. She said they just get used to it. I couldn't believe it - both the boys and girls were in such skin tight suits there was little to the imagination. Whatever the girls felt about keeping covered it was not apparent. You could practically see the outline of their pubic mound through the fabric. The guys were pretty obvious too. Not much body shame there I think.

[naturush]

My wife swam when she was in high school. She and don't know if this is universal or not, but her team had co-ed "shave downs". Nothing sexual, just shaving cream and razors. Just my two cents. And for the love of might, DON'T turn this into a shaving thread!!!!

[MJ_KC]

A very smooth swimsuit and a shaved body are common for competitive swimmers. Anything that creates drag is minimized where possible. They would actually be slower if nude.

[BillyD]

Even if you don't speak Japanese, you'll get the gist of this video. It seems obvious that it's fake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mLRai3MH01g

[Hooked]

Hey Originally posted by naturush:
My wife swam when she was in high school. She and don't know if this is universal or not, but her team had co-ed "shave downs".

What...? co-ed meaning the boys and girls stripped down and shaved each other? I can't imagine that ever happening in the real world...

[naturush]

I must clearify. Before the first big swim meet of the season, the boys and girls swim team would get together at someones house and shave themselves-nude-infront of all team members. She explained this happened only a few times, and the modest ones (?) would shave at home and then have a show and tell during practice. Though I'm guessing here, it would be more of a tell then show. Ahh high school...

[naturush]

totally fake video. Everything about it is controlled and shall I say over produced??? A facial expression here, a cut shot of spectators there...please.

[Naturist Mark]

Originally posted by naturush:
totally fake video. Everything about it is controlled and shall I say over produced??? A facial expression here, a cut shot of spectators there...please. It is a 'dramatic reenactment' of an actual event during a swim meet at Minnesota's St. John's University in 1998. It seems Japanese TV news magazines are as fast and loose with the facts as American TV news magazines. <UL TYPE=SQUARE> THOSE 'BUTT'INSKY JUDGES WERE, PERHAPS, OVER SENSITIVE (http://www.chewednews.com/wbu-archive-2006.html)

In 2000, Parade magazine contained an article about swimmer Matt Zelen of St. John's University, a 100-yard butterfly contender for the Summer Olympics. During a competitive swim, according to the magazine, Zelen realized he'd forgotten to tie the waist-string on his swimming trunks, and they were slipping down. Determined to win, he kicked his suit free and swam on to finish 2-seconds ahead of all other competitors. But he was then disqualified for violating the uniform dress code. [/list]

-Mark

[Bobx23456]

Originally posted by TigerTeam: The guys were pretty obvious too. Not much body shame there I think.

Until a few years ago I lived in Los Alamos, NM. The public pool there is Olympic size and suitable for competition swiming. It is the only such pool at an elevation over 7,000 feet in the US, or so we were told. Several internatinoal teams would come to town to practic and train at high altitude to improve performance.

The Italian men's team got a reputation among local women because they ignored the locker rooms. They gathered in the seating area and would take off their street clothing to put on their racing suits. Between one outfit and the other they were quite naked and not concerned about it at all. A goodly number of local women would find a reason to be at the pool when the Italian athletes were in town to get a view.

Blessings

Bob

[Sanslines]

The guys were pretty obvious too. Not much body shame there I think.

For reasons unknown to most, after college, most men's Speedo swimwear go into the trash can and out come the much more conservative baggy, knee length surfer shorts that are worn to the beaches and pools. I still wear my Speedos and still hear the usual comments about Speedo's ie 'only gay men or Europeen men wear Speedos'. Women especially seem to hate Speedos and if you are in the dating stage of your life, it is probably best not to wear Speedos.

[funguy]

Originally posted by Naturist Mark:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by naturush:
totally fake video. Everything about it is controlled and shall I say over produced??? A facial expression here, a cut shot of spectators there...please. It is a 'dramatic reenactment' of an actual event during a swim meet at Minnesota's St. John's University in 1998. It seems Japanese TV news magazines are as fast and loose with the facts as American TV news magazines. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

this wasn't from a serious news program like "60 minutes" or "dateline." probably the closest thing we've had in this country were the old "real people" or "that's incredible" shows. so the use of a dramatic reenactment isn't really such a big deal.

the funniest part of the clip is at the end, when mr zelen says he's just really glad he wasn't swimming the backstroke. http://oakhurstonline.com/icon/laugh.gif

[Terrace Casual]

Originally posted by naturush:
I must clearify. Before the first big swim meet of the season, the boys and girls swim team would get together at someones house and shave themselves-nude-infront of all team members. She explained this happened only a few times, and the modest ones (?) would shave at home and then have a show and tell during practice. Though I'm guessing here, it would be more of a tell then show. Ahh high school...
Sorry, but I don't believe for one second that this would happen. I can believe the coaches woud insist on competitors being shaved, but not co-ed. Why would they possibly have to have the girls and the boys naked in one room together to prove this? If they change in separate rooms before meets, would they be 'checked' then?

[NoVaNudist]

wrestlers are much the same. the gear is revealing, and alot of the hangups are lost. and they know that showers are a must unless they want to get funky fungi etc after a match.

[RichNH]

Originally posted by Terrace Casual:
Sorry, but I don't believe for one second that this would happen. I can believe the coaches woud insist on competitors being shaved, but not co-ed. Why would they possibly have to have the girls and the boys naked in one room together to prove this? If they change in separate rooms before meets, would they be 'checked' then?

I got the impression that the co-ed get togethers wasn't exactly being sanctioned by the coaches or anyone else. Maybe it happened, maybe not. But something like that wouldn't "officially" happen in the US unless it was under very specific circumstances. If it did happen, it was just the kids getting together on their own.

Rich

[swamdj]

In 2000, Parade magazine contained an article about swimmer Matt Zelen of St. John's University, a 100-yard butterfly contender for the Summer Olympics. During a competitive swim, according to the magazine, Zelen realized he'd forgotten to tie the waist-string on his swimming trunks, and they were slipping down. Determined to win, he kicked his suit free and swam on to finish 2-seconds ahead of all other competitors. But he was then disqualified for violating the uniform dress code.
Crazy thing is, Matt Zelen was a pretty amazing swimmer. Won a national championship or two (Division III, but still), so he was the last person something like this should've happened to.

And about all the "revealing swimwear," I swam competitively all the way through school, and a guy in a speedo, in practice or in a meet, is no big deal -- EVERY guy there is in a speedo, and if he's not, your first reaction is "he must be slow and know nothing about swimming." So it's really not that big of a deal, like being in a social nudist setting. Ironic, though, that the people I swam with were also the most modest showerers you'll ever find.

[vanesa1017]

If there were nude swim teams that competed in tournaments the way there are nude volleyball teams I would SOOO join! :D

[Naturist4Ever]

>> If there were nude swim teams that competed in tournaments the way there are nude
>> volleyball teams I would SOOO join

Vanessa, there ARE! - In europe that is... Every year the INF organises a swimming gala and preceeding that most european nations organise their qualifying competitions. These are good swimmers! A video of the a past french or INF (not sure) swimming competition was recently posted by simonsebs and can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGcW0cxFJSs

What's also nice is that they have couples and family estafettes (not sure if that's an english word), like 2x25 and 4x25 with 2,4 different familymembers. Makes it just a bit more fun.

[rikkiann]

I was on my high school swim team. 6 years ago now althpugh our
suits were one piece they were fairly tight and form fitting. Although our
coach recommended shaving our pubic area and legs before a meet it wasnt mandatory. Actually only a few of the girls did it. i didnt have to worry i had been shaved for several years. and the suits were very revealing. My nipples and pubic mound were clearly noticeable.

rikki

[DenitaLC]

>> If there were nude swim teams that competed in tournaments the way there are nude
>> volleyball teams I would SOOO join

Vanessa, there ARE! - In europe that is... Every year the INF organises a swimming gala and preceeding that most european nations organise their qualifying competitions. These are good swimmers! A video of the a past french or INF (not sure) swimming competition was recently posted by simonsebs and can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QGcW0cxFJSs

What's also nice is that they have couples and family estafettes (not sure if that's an english word), like 2x25 and 4x25 with 2,4 different familymembers. Makes it just a bit more fun.

Thanks for the link, that was a great video that I really enjoyed, even if I don't speak the language! ;)

[barebuns]

That's cool! Also cool that it hasn't been blocked from YouTube. I wonder if it's because it's a French posting?

[vanesa1017]

Oh my gosh that is amazing. Thank you so much for showing me this video, I now NEED to move there:p:D:)

It looked like so much fun and just a great environment, plus every swimmer I know stays so thin, it would be a great workout. Thanks again!

[Naturist4Ever]

Hi again, to give you an idea, I have here the very readworthy (but unfortunately I can't copy and post it here) report from the 2007 German qualifications, which is really an event for everyone, not just the real competition swimmers (see below) but also the whole family. The report was published in the sept 2007 edition of the membership magazine of the german naturist association.

* 15 local associations (from germany) were represented
* 629 people (including children) took part (just think about only this!!!)
* 109 medleys (I think this is the correct english word for what is also known as an estafette, i.e., with several people in a team where everyone swims a leg, one after the other)
* best times of some of the competitions
- 100m freestyle, women 1:23 (german record clothed = 0:52)
- 100m freestyle, men 1:09 (german record clothed = 0:47)
- 50m back, women 0:37 (german record = 0:27)
- 50m back, men 0:31 (german record = 0:23)
- 50m breast, women 0:42 (german record = 0:30)
- 50m breast, men 0:35 (german record 0:27)

So these are pretty good swimmers, this is not the lazy day at the pool type of an event - but sure it is great fun. And nothing short of amazing indeed. An event like that even if only once a year would be reason to start some serious training

I swim a "lot" (relative speaking compared to other recreational swimmers) but preferably in the outdoors - which we have plenty of here. I feel more free, "like a fish really". I love to swim in cold water too, although it's winter right now every week I try to clock a 3 minute outdoor distance swim, and it's only 2.5C = 36F in the water. I don't mind, it feels great. Lots of adrealine. Swimming is cool.

[wantago9]

That's great! I am too a swimmer. I have swam in high school state championships, college and masters teams. I was a swimming head coach for two years. I get used to knowing that the swimming suit is tight and I don't mind but only to their swimming times and the ability to swim fast. I would agree that tight suit aids us to shave off times. Our body does built drags. We need to be built like the dophins. The wetsuit is easier to swim than spendos on the Lake. I don't have wetsuit. Cause they do cost a lot of money. I have never brought body suit either. Body suit didn't come up till after I finished college. Yea, I have notices that some parents felt nerves when their kids swim on the summer city team. But, not much with the YMCA family. They all have common setting and trusting each other better. Maybe being inside pool is safer than outdoor pool.

[Larry Sam]

cant stand tight suits but when in competition it is the only way to go

[csbeachlover]

Oh my gosh that is amazing. Thank you so much for showing me this video, I now NEED to move there:p:D:)

It looked like so much fun and just a great environment, plus every swimmer I know stays so thin, it would be a great workout. Thanks again!

I agree that it is a most interesting video, though at my age I would be more inclined to be a spectator than a competitor! It certainly fits the notion of family naturism. It is refreshing to see so many people of all ages enjoying themselves in such a natural way. Does anyone know if such a competitive family swimming event has ever been held at any of the larger nudist resorts in the United States? I would think that some of those places would have a pool big enough for at least some friendly competitive events like this one in Europe.

[Naturist4Ever]

I agree that it is a most interesting video, though at my age I would be more inclined to be a spectator than a competitor!

In fact (see also my earlier post) they also do family-medley with 3 generations, i.e., grandparent, children and grandchildren, each a leg of 25m. It's absolute fun, and no-one is ever too old or young to take part (as long as you can swim). Of course, for this too work, you need to have a large and established naturist population otherwise you simply never find 3 active generations in one family.

I could not find anything that the AANR is doing in this respect, but there are some here on CFF with tight links to AANR so maybe they could answer this.

[DCrocker]

ah video is down.

[Naturist4Ever]

ah video is down.
The video was removed, actually, and this was to be expected anyway since frontal nudity (wholesome or not) violates the youtube tos. That doesn't stop people from posting such videos, but usually they get removed after a while. If I ever find a link to the original video I'll post it.

[Agde]

ah video is down.
For those who missed the video, the French Naturist Federation still has a report on last year's INF Naturist Swimming Gala (http://ffnnaturisme.free.fr/infos/?2007/12/10/81-36e-gala-de-natation-naturiste-a-evreux-3-novembre-2007) in Evreux, France. The 37th annual Naturist Swimming Gala is scheduled for October 31 - November 2, 2008 at the Sportfondsenbad in Amersfoort, The Netherlands.

Why not organize an American team?

[nuovonudo]

The Italian men's team got a reputation among local women because they ignored the locker rooms. They gathered in the seating area and would take off their street clothing to put on their racing suits. Between one outfit and the other they were quite naked and not concerned about it at all. A goodly number of local women would find a reason to be at the pool when the Italian athletes were in town to get a view.


years ago i was traveling on a eurail pass in italy and met some teenage guys who were headed to the beach at pisa maritima. they invited me to go with them. when we got to the beach, either the changing stalls were all occupied or the boys didn't care (i can't remember which) but at any rate they did just what you described: stripped completely naked and changed into their speedo-type suits, in plain view of anyone who happened to be watching. i did likewise.

after a while we rented a paddleboat and paddled way out and i shucked my swimsuit once i got in the water. several of the guys followed suit and were delighted to swim naked.

[SargentIV]

What's interesting is that one summer I met several German students at Hofstra University. Whenever the guys were in the locker room many of them were quite modest and wrapped towels around them like many Americans do. There were some who didn't have any qualms about being nude, but they were much more modest than I expected them to be.

[Trainfan]

Nuovonudo,
What you're describing is pretty much universal, at least as far as the European continent is concerned. When I was stationed in Turkey in the mid 80s, we were fairly close to one of their beaches along the Black Sea coast. Although the Turks wouldn't do it, when the Europeans, usually Germans, showed up, they would strip right there on the beach. Because it was a resort area, the Turks seemed to turn a blind eye to the European's habit of changing right there on the beach, although you could see that many of them disapproved. A few years later when I was stationed in Berlin and then later in Munich, the Germans almost always changed right on the beach, in parking lots, parks, whatever was handy. At the Wannsee lake in Berlin, they had a huge changing area/locker room facility that was almost always empty, save for the few folks who used the lockers to lock up their valuables.

It's easy to be nudist in Germany! That's how I got started.

[QUOTE=nuovonudo;197760]years ago i was traveling on a eurail pass in italy and met some teenage guys who were headed to the beach at pisa maritima. they invited me to go with them. when we got to the beach, either the changing stalls were all occupied or the boys didn't care (i can't remember which) but at any rate they did just what you described: stripped completely naked and changed into their speedo-type suits, in plain view of anyone who happened to be watching. i did likewise.]

[Nashoba-nowa]

I was a competition swimmer in school and we wore the very skimpy speedo racers back then which left little to the imagination and we had the shaving parties that another member wrote about, not much modesty, but as a naturist from an early age, I did not care.

[rikkiann]

i was on the swimteam in high school and you are right about the swimsuits. they were so tight fitting nothing was hidden.you could see verything clearly outlined. My parents almost made me quit the team because of that. And the coach told us it was best if we shaved. i didnt have to worry about that i had been shaved for several years before that but shaving just made the swimsuit even more revealing.

rikki

[jon71]

I wore a speedo when I was on my high school team and I didn't care. As near as I can tell no one else cared either. In my team yearbook photo we are in our suits, dripping wet, outside with an inch or two of snow on the ground. Those were the days.

[nuovonudo]

In my team yearbook photo we are in our suits, dripping wet, outside with an inch or two of snow on the ground. Those were the days.


why on earth did they have you pose for the photo outdoors during winter???

[steve-o]

i was on the swimteam in high school and you are right about the swimsuits. they were so tight fitting nothing was hidden.you could see verything clearly outlined. My parents almost made me quit the team because of that. And the coach told us it was best if we shaved. i didnt have to worry about that i had been shaved for several years before that but shaving just made the swimsuit even more revealing.

rikkiann,
I understand the point of tight swimsuits is to lessen drag in the water. And you are in the water 99 percent of the time anyway so your body is not seen that much (except maybe by team mates). But your parents did not understand this.

Anyway, I am interested in the feelings and thinking of the team members in contrast to that of the parents. Were you and your team members embarrassed or did you all feel empowered?

It's interesting that your parents wanted you to quit because of what they saw saw as over-exposure and later you became a nudist.

[Flybare II]

What I have found in Germany is that most of the hotels that have pools and or sauna facilities have common changing rooms for men and women.
I guess if anyone has a problem with it they can change in their room.
The Saunas are coed and clothing of any kind is discouraged.
Occasionally their will be a nude swimmer. Usually depends on time of day and the privacy of the pool. I have done it more than once myself.:)
Had a nice conversation with a young woman while we were both changing to our street clothes. The fact that we were both nude was not even noticed.