Men only swims

When I attended the Men only swim in Canada, it was on a weekday afternoon event and was attended mainly by retired men and senior citizens. It was very much like an adults only swim. However, some working men came in on their lunch hour, stripped out of their business suits, and worked out in the pool. In the late afternoon, some guys came from high school to work out. This was the only swimsuit optional swim for males.

Should open swims and learn to swim be swimsuit optional? Should they be open just to males or both sexes? In Germany, pools are swimsuit optional. But it is primarily the men that swim naked. Should spectators of both sexes be allowed in or should it be closed to spectators?

Open swims are usually too crowded and boisterous. Men and senior citizens do not try to swim laps during open swims, and wait for the rest periods. Learn to swim can be held in one area of the pool while the other is open to lap swimming.

What are your opinions?

Luke

Hi Benedict!

I know that in the survey to date 84% of the boys surveyed said that they would like to have a safe place where they could go skinnydipping. I am sure that if it brought in higher attendance, there could be Learn to swim or Open swims with boys only. (I don't know if Girls only would be as interested in swimming naked.)

I wonder if these boys would only want male staff and spectators, or if they would still swim naked in front of a female teacher and female spectators. Would they swim naked if they were the only boy in the pool without a swimsuit?

Let's hear your opinions!

Luke

Benedict,

Thanks for continuing this discussion. I think that if boys were given a choice, they would wear a swimsuit. At the time boys were not given a choice, and all were required to swim naked. See link:

http://lh5.ggpht.com/6trla2rXMnY/THG8Lqz9nsI/AAAAAAAAM80/B4gNultjGww/s1600/na-341%5B5%5D.jpg

After the initial embarrassment, boys quickly got over it and then preferred to swim naked. If there were a boys only swim, should it be an Open swim or should swimming lessons be taught? What ages should be allowed in the pool?

Thanks for telling me Benedict!

Try this one:

http://www.frank-answers.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/swimming-lesson-at-the-YMCA.gif

It's the same image.

I know when I taught tiny tots (ages 4-6), they were all boys. I was always in the pool with them. Their mothers watched from the side. There were girls in the other classes (i.e. in the other swimming lanes). It could have been all boys with their mothers watching. I am sure they wouldn't have minded being naked at that age. But I wouldn't have been setting a good example by wearing a swimsuit.

Luke

At my private all boys school in the 70s we had to be nude during swimming lessons up to age 12. We had female instructors up to that age which was called juniors. Only seniors, from age 13 up were allowed to wear swim trunks. Our class teachers, also female in junior grades, were also present during swim classes to keep discipline among the boys especially while we undressed and showered in the locker room. Junior boys also competed naked during swimming competitions in front of school staff, parents and guests. But we were so used to it that it was no big deal. Only a very few boys were shy or embarassed being seen naked during swimming. In fact when we graduated to seniors some boys continued to swim naked.