Sagging Number Of Older Nudists Bears Watching

[Bushnud2]

http://www.courant.com/features/lifestyle/hc-prime0809....ug09,0,5508772.story

Sagging Number Of Older Nudists Bears Watching
By JOEL HOOD | SOUTH FLORIDA SUN-SENTINEL
August 9, 2007

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. - In trendy South Florida, there are still places where people balk at Botox, laugh at lipo and let their body parts sag if that's what nature intended them to do.

They're called nudist resorts, and for decades, most have been impervious to the type of change that has rattled and reshaped life outside their secluded communities.

Now, faced with declining membership and aging residents, resorts locally and across the country are struggling with how to attract a younger generation to ensure the future of this laid-back and free-spirited lifestyle.

There are plenty of challenges. There are the usual misconceptions about nudist resorts; that they're all hippie communities or havens for perverts and deviant behavior. And then there's this, which might be the most daunting obstacle of all: Most twentysomethings don't seem to want to be naked around people who look like their parents.

"The lifestyle we're trying to preserve is going to die off unless we attract a younger crowd," said Amber Burge, the interim manager at the Seminole Health Club & Resort in Fort Lauderdale, one of only two registered nudist communities in South Florida. The other is Sunsport Gardens in the rural town of Loxahatchee Groves.

Like similar communities around the state and many across the country, these two resorts were born out of the free love era of the 1960s, when like-minded nonconformists gathered to create a place of independent thought and communal living to, quite literally, strip away societal norms. What followed in the 1970s and '80s is what some consider the golden age of nudist resorts in America. Seminole and Sunsport were swept up in the groundswell and became thriving rural, tree-lined communities far removed from city life.

While these communities remain, these are now lean times for many resorts threatened by a generational divide, said Carolyn Hawkins, spokeswoman for the American Association for Nude Recreation of Kissimmee, which represents more than 250 clubs and resorts in the United States and Canada. More than 90 percent of its 50,000 members are over 35 and a large percentage of those are well into their 50s and 60s, Hawkins said.

In response, nudist resorts are launching outreach efforts to local colleges, hosting dances, marketing online, reducing costs and even organizing strip poker tournaments geared toward bringing in young blood. However, success has been minimal, resort owners said.

"The younger population has no problem with nudity, but they don't seem to want to sit around with old people," said Joe Lettellier, president of the Paradise Lakes nudist resort near Tampa, which hosted a strip poker event in January 2006. "I feel the pressure to figure out the younger folks. You can't give up on them."

Membership at the Davie resort, which was founded in the mid-1960s but changed ownership last year, has dipped to about 250 today from a high of around 800 in its glory years, Burge said. There are 31 full-time members at the 10-acre park, but only two younger than 30, Burge said, including her 19-year-old daughter, Stacey Myers. Owner Patrick Toma guessed the average age of park visitors to be 45 or 50.

Myers said college-age men and women who are curious about nudism often feel pressure from others to deride the lifestyle.

"I've had friends here at Seminole who've said they weren't getting naked, and within five minutes they're in the pool," she said. "We definitely need a lot of younger members. Some cute boys maybe."

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Copyright © 2007, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

[Croydon]

This is a challenge for many nudist resorts, attracting young adults. The article brings some great points. One being that many young people wish to be nude around their peers. It is not to say we don't want to be around older people but we want to socialize with people we have things in common with and age is a big one.

In addition, I find that the activities enjoyed by young people are different than that of older nudists. When I go to resorts, I must admit, I get moments of boredom. I enjoy being active i.e. swimming, working out, hiking, sports. The activities that older nudist participate in at resorts are minimal. Mostly, I see that they tend to sit and lounge by pool all day with moments of breaks to get drinks or dip in pool. Quite honestly, I am bored by that. Relaxing is good thing but after while, you can't take it all the sitting and lounging.

Where do you find the young nudists? You'll find them at the beach. The beach is filled with them as it is a great easy and CHEAP way to experience nakedness yet be able to have fun with your friends.

Nude resorts have not come around to embrace the interests of young adults. It seems the focus is on getting them to the resort but the bigger question is, what are you doing to KEEP their interest in the resort? Getting them to the door is the easier part but once they are in, you have to keep them entertained. At this moment, many resorts have not been able to get that part down.

This challenge isn't exclusive to nude resorts. Many companies have this problem and spend MILLIONS of dollars studying the interest of young adults and finding what they want and like. Young people have forever changing taste. One day they like something and the next they don't. This is why many companies put a lot of emphasis on innovation and changing along with the market. Nude resorts have not been able to grasp that concept.

I believe one of the reasons why they are in this position is because they spent many years catering to the interests and needs of today's older nudist yet forgetting that the generation will retire and die off and that they will need a new breed of people to come in and replace them. Problem, they never tapped into what these new breed want and like. That being said, resorts and naturism as whole is trying to do things that they should have done YEARS AGO. They are trying to catch up but unfortunately, it is going to take A LOOOOOOOONG time to catch up.

This is almost like the American automobile manufacturers. The Japanese had a great concept on making reliable cars that was offered to Americans. Americans dismissed it and today, they can't even come close to the success of Japanese manufacturers. They spend all their time and energy trying to catch up to Japanese but the Japanese are always three steps ahead. Nude resorts are trying to catch up with young adults and when they think they have something for us, resorts missed up and we have moved onto something else

[David77]

Nude resorts have not come around to embrace the interests of young adults. It seems the focus is on getting them to the resort but the bigger question is, what are you doing to KEEP their interest in the resort? Getting them to the door is the easier part but once they are in, you have to keep them entertained. At this moment, many resorts have not been able to get that part down.

Keep them entertained? Young folks that I see at the resorts have the initiative to play vollyball on the ground and in the water, play tennis, basketball,cards, play pool, hike on the resorts trails, swim, row or peddle on the lake, set up their badmitten set, throw frisbees, ride bicycles outsde at the resort, also use the gym equipment there to stay in shape, attend an occasional rock concert at the resort, dance, attend the occasional antique auto show and also the motorcycle show at the resort, enjoy the annual art show, enjoy the many other special occasions at the resort, and join in at the many barbeques and their other feasts, special theme dances, enjoy the regular DJ dances, and formost, young persons enjoying conversation with persons of their own age group thereby making new friends.

You don't need a social director to lead you thru activities, but some larger resorts have social directors. However, nearly all resorts have a monthly calender of events posted on their website of the activities planned for that month so that you can possibly choose which week or week-end you wish to attend. You must also choose which resort you wish to attend.

The conventions at the resorts have fun activities planned nearly every minute of the day, in both passive activities such as choosing lectures or workshops, to more active enjoyment of planned sports - if you need your games planned by a social planner and not planned among the available young persons eager for vigorous activity who are present at such large events and would like to be asked to participate or else volunteer to play.

Right after Labor Day there are annual vollyball toraments at resorts that hundreds of young persons are eager to attend.

You need not sit around the pool and relax.

[nudenwv]

wow! this is a good post and brings a lot of good points! when i go to a nudist resort/lodge while i'm lounging at the pool, i'm observing the different age groups. it seem the younger groups want to be noticed and complimented on thier bodies. my buddy and i were camping and a young male with two teenage children,one male the other female, set up camp next to us. right away he was telling everyone how he snuck his kids with him while his wife was working. she later found out and called in to get him and the kdis home! all the time he was bragging how he and the kids were nude. his daughter was taking art class and asked if her brother was circumsised. he said yes and told her she knew what foreskin looked like. he then began to look around the campsite trying to find an uncircumsised man. then he began to talk about the smoothness of some of the guest and said that was cool. once he got the phone call from his wife he announced he would divorce so he and the kids could come back. he took the tent down and left. it was annoying and obnoxious to those around him. my buddy and i said big deal so your here. it's as if he wanted a metal! i welcome older people around me as i found out they have the expertise and answers to questions!

[Croydon]

Originally posted by nudenwv:
wow! this is a good post and brings a lot of good points! when i go to a nudist resort/lodge while i'm lounging at the pool, i'm observing the different age groups. it seem the younger groups want to be noticed and complimented on thier bodies. my buddy and i were camping and a young male with two teenage children,one male the other female, set up camp next to us. right away he was telling everyone how he snuck his kids with him while his wife was working. she later found out and called in to get him and the kdis home! all the time he was bragging how he and the kids were nude. his daughter was taking art class and asked if her brother was circumsised. he said yes and told her she knew what foreskin looked like. he then began to look around the campsite trying to find an uncircumsised man. then he began to talk about the smoothness of some of the guest and said that was cool. once he got the phone call from his wife he announced he would divorce so he and the kids could come back. he took the tent down and left. it was annoying and obnoxious to those around him. my buddy and i said big deal so your here. it's as if he wanted a metal! i welcome older people around me as i found out they have the expertise and answers to questions!

Maybe I am failing to get your point but I have no idea how the above is related to the article or topic at hand.

[Croydon]

Originally posted by David77:

quote:

Nude resorts have not come around to embrace the interests of young adults. It seems the focus is on getting them to the resort but the bigger question is, what are you doing to KEEP their interest in the resort? Getting them to the door is the easier part but once they are in, you have to keep them entertained. At this moment, many resorts have not been able to get that part down.

Keep them entertained? Young folks that I see at the resorts have the initiative to play vollyball on the ground and in the water, play tennis, basketball,cards, play pool, hike on the resorts trails, swim, row or peddle on the lake, set up their badmitten set, throw frisbees, ride bicycles outsde at the resort, also use the gym equipment there to stay in shape, attend an occasional rock concert at the resort, dance, attend the occasional antique auto show and also the motorcycle show at the resort, enjoy the annual art show, enjoy the many other special occasions at the resort, and join in at the many barbeques and their other feasts, special theme dances, enjoy the regular DJ dances, and formost, young persons enjoying conversation with persons of their own age group thereby making new friends.

You don't need a social director to lead you thru activities, but some larger resorts have social directors. However, nearly all resorts have a monthly calender of events posted on their website of the activities planned for that month so that you can possibly choose which week or week-end you wish to attend. You must also choose which resort you wish to attend.

The conventions at the resorts have fun activities planned nearly every minute of the day, in both passive activities such as choosing lectures or workshops, to more active enjoyment of planned sports - if you need your games planned by a social planner and not planned among the available young persons eager for vigorous activity who are present at such large events and would like to be asked to participate or else volunteer to play.

Right after Labor Day there are annual vollyball toraments at resorts that hundreds of young persons are eager to attend.

You need not sit around the pool and relax.

David, you made excellent points.

Allow me to clarify, when I said that resorts must keep the interest of young adults, I did not mean that they must have scheduled events and have an activity/social coordinator to plan and organize activities.

Yes, resorts offer a lot of activities (i.e. volleyball, basketball). Young adults have some activities to choose from. My point is that resorts can do better. In addition, my comment was more for the small scale resorts who have not "upgraded" their services.

There are some great resorts to model after. For ex: Cypress Cove and Desert Shadows (whatever is left of it). In fact, Desert Shadows was quite popular among young adults.