My college swimming class
Cama
Hi everybody,
I have a true story to tell. The details are as close to reality as I
can remember. I absolutely assure you that this is a true story and I
will mention specific details. I posted this story 3-4 years ago.
Here's a repeat.
I went to the University of Maryland from 1968-1972 on the College Park
campus. Gym was required at the time, and one could not graduate
without it. Just by blind luck, my first semester in the Freshman year
started with Gym at 8 am. And, to add insult to injury, the gym class
was swimming. I grew up not far from Sandy Hook, New Jersey, so I was
an accomplished swimmer. I wasn't a bit scared. I was just nervous
about starting college.
On that Monday of the first semester, I walked from my dorm on one side
of the campus to the opposite side (about one mile) to find the
swimming pool. It was an Olympic indoor heated pool. As I filed into
the pool area, I couldn't help but notice that the class was big--maybe
100 guys. They were of all ages: The youngest was about 18 (I was
19), and the oldest was about 45. We mulled around a bit, then sat on
the white tile bleechers awaiting the teacher. It was a little bit
chilly out as the weather approached fall. Most of the guys were
dressed with pants and light jackets.
Then, a remarkable event occurred. The teacher, about 30 years old,
entered the pool area from a side door. You could hear a pin drop! He
was totally naked! He held a clip board with a computer print-out of
the class. He was loud and very arrogant. He scared us. We began to
speak--whispering. Then he spoke.
He shouted, "So you think this is funnY, don't you? You think I look
weird. Well, you guys had better shut up! You see, we do not wear
clothing in MY pool. Get it right. No suits. You see, bathing suits
are dirty. They det left in lockers and stink. They breed disease. I
don't allow that." There was a hush of dead silence. I was afraid to
breathe, because I knew there would be more.
At that moment, the assistant teacher walked in, locking the door
behind him. He was naked, smiling, and seemed nice. He was in his
twenties.
The teacher then said, "You will be issued one white towel and a small
bar of soap. They both have only one purpose. You see, you will
remove your clothes in the locker room down stairs. Then, you will
pick up the towel and soap. As you enter the corridor to the pool, you
will notice showers on the wall." I remembered about twenty bare
shower heads in a tiled room. "You will shower BEFORE you enter my
pool. Yes, that is becausee people are dirty and you will not dirty MY
pool. If you want to shower when you leave, you may. I don't care.
And I'm not done. There are more rules. The purpose of the towel is
to dry yourself off. If I see someone wrap the towel around themselves
to hide private parts, you will be thrown out of the class and flunk
gym. I am not joking! Now, please leave and I'll see you on
Wednesday."
The pool was silent. People hurried out, thinking about what happened,
Nobody talked or said a word. We were in shock.
Wesnesday arrived. We entered the locker room. Still no talking. We
got towels and the tiny bar of soap. We showered and entered the pool
area. Just as we were told. All of us were very naked. There was a
strange sense of fear--fear about getting an erection, fear of seeing
someone else's naked body. The guys did not look at each other at all.
We just stood there until the coach entered, naked, of course. He
shouted, "Get in line for roll call." We just wanted to get in the
pool. Not stand there. It wasn't cold at all. But, we wanted to get
in the pool so that we did not have to wonder about our naked bodies.
I know he was delaying that event because roll call lasted for ever.
We then got the reward of going into the warm water. By the time gym
was over, I was ready to run out of there like a bat out of hell.
That Friday, I repeated the same ritual, but now everyone was talking.
We were still all quite naked. Both coaches were, too. They taught
swimming techniques and diving. Although we were still scared, the
edge had worn off. We all seemed friends.
I did survive my Freshman year. I actually enjoyed gym class. We
became very accustomed to nude swimming and to our bodies. We joked
and laughed about it. I developed a much better concept of my own
nudity and my place in society. I still go skinny dipping with my boys
and their friends. I love the feeling of closeness to people and
nature.
I graduated in 1972, entered medical school, and am now a practicing
family physician in rural Pennsylvania. Today, when I tell my friends
the story, they don't believe me. I don't know if the University of
Maryland still has nude swimming classes. I can only say that I
learned a lot more than swimming. I learned about myself and my
relationship with mankind. That experience has changed my life for the
positive.
Joe Cama
JT
> I graduated in 1972, entered medical school, and am now a practicing
> family physician in rural Pennsylvania. Today, when I tell my friends
> the story, they don't believe me. I don't know if the University of
> Maryland still has nude swimming classes. I can only say that I
> learned a lot more than swimming. I learned about myself and my
> relationship with mankind. That experience has changed my life for the
> positive.
Good post. Do you visit any clothing-optional beaches or resorts today
as a result of your indoctrination to social nudity? Do you keep in
touch with any people from that gym class? It would be interesting to
here some of their opinions.
Jenny6833A
> The purpose of the towel is
>to dry yourself off. If I see someone wrap the towel around themselves
>to hide private parts, you will be thrown out of the class
Somehow, I doubt that the instructor woujld have said "private parts" while
setting out to convince that genitals aren't private.
Jenny
LoriW627
>>to dry yourself off. If I see someone wrap the towel around themselves
>>to hide private parts, you will be thrown out of the class
>
>Somehow, I doubt that the instructor woujld have said "private parts" while
>setting out to convince that genitals aren't private.
The guy is recalling a story from 31 years ago. Do we have to try to discredit
the story because he can't get the quote perfect?
Rincon
1) There 100 students at an East Coast state university gathered in an
enclosed space.
2) A nude instructor walks in.
3) A nude assistant instructor walks in.
4) The locker room is DOWNSTAIRS.
5) The locker room is below the water level of the pool.
6) The assistant instructor LOCKS THE DOOR, against fire and safety
regulations.
7) The instructor threatens to flunk students who wrap a towel around
their loins, and he has no fear of being sued by angry parents, of
being
fired by angry administrators, of losing his teaching credentials for
indecent exposure before minors.
8) The showers are in the corridor leading to the pool (locker room
downstairs, remember).
9) Diving is taught nude.
10) The author developed a much better concept of his own nudity and
place in society.
11) He learned about himself and his relationship with mankind......
Jenny, how come you know so much about the French language? Did you
major in French in college, or did you spend a lot of time in France? I
took
French for a year in college, myself, but I've never been to France. And,
for
some reason, I've never had much of a desire after hearing so much about
how unfriendly the French are to people who can't speak perfect French.
It's
too bad because I've also wanted to accompany the French on their exodus
to the Mediterranean in August. The naturist beaches must be quite a social
scene at those times. Were you at any French naturist beaches during the
summer? How do the French naturists on holiday treat Americans who can
just stumble along in French? If you have any experiences to share, I'd
love
to hear about it!
Rincon
--------------
La peinture sur le corps, c'est merveilleuse.
cliff...@pressroom.com
Jenny6833A
(but oh well) says
>Jenny, how come you know so much about the French language?
I don't know much about the language, and don't speak it well enough now to
carry on a conversation. Most would claim I never could.
> Did you
>major in French in college, or did you spend a lot of time in France?
None in high school or college. I've spent a total of about a year in France
on various stays lasting from a few days to a few months.
> I
>took
>French for a year in college, myself, but I've never been to France.
You ought to go. Persoanlly, I like it lots better than those islands across
the channel.
> And for
>some reason, I've never had much of a desire after hearing so much about
>how unfriendly the French are to people who can't speak perfect French.
In my experience, except for Paris which is anouther NYC, that's mostly a myth.
The French do tend to try to "help" you by repeating everything you say back to
you with corrections in grammar, vocabulary, and accent. If you want to go
pee-pee, you need to ask long before it's a serious need because you probably
won't be told where the pee-pee place is until you've asked the question
perfectly. It can be very difficult to try to communicate, because they just
aren't interested in what you have to say until you've said it to their
satisfaction. They aren't being unfriendly. They're trying hard to HELP you
learn to speak the one-and-only language prefectly!!! <G>
OTOH, you can beat that with good humored charade games. Instead of talking,
act out your question or problem. You'll get a laugh and a response in kind:
they'll grin and point -- or take you by the hand and lead you to the loo.
>It's
>too bad because I've also wanted to accompany the French on their exodus
>to the Mediterranean in August.
IMHO, July is a better month for non-French speakers. That's vacation month
for Belgium and The Netherlands. Most of them speak English. So do most
Germans. On the beach, seek out anyone speaking a Germanic-sounding language.
It will turn out to be Flemish, Dutch, German, or one of the Scandanavian
languages which means the odds that they're English-speaking are fairly high.
> The naturist beaches must be quite a social
>scene at those times. Were you at any French naturist beaches during the
>summer?
Really no different from America in summer, except that the vacation schedules
are synchronized which makes for huge traffic jams around July 1, August 1, and
September 1. I haven't been there for five or six years, so I'm probably not
giving you the most up to date scoop.
> How do the French naturists on holiday treat Americans who can
>just stumble along in French?
About the same as American naturists treat foreigners who just stumble along in
English. People will be friendly, but most will be disinclined to spend a lot
of time struggling with language problems. If you want to socialize, it's
better to find someone who wants to work on their English, and then stick to
English.
Jenny
Mike2678
cliff...@pressroom.com writes:
>t's a nice story and you tell it so well!
not bad for a flight of fantasy
drewbe
Great post Joe.... :o))
Drew
Cama
<dre...@rocketmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, 23 May 1999 22:25:05 -0400, Cama <ka...@epix.net> wrote:
>
> >
> Great post Joe.... :o))
>
> Drew
Hey people,
The story is really true. It is not fantasy. You can easily check the
info. The "set up" I described with the locker room still exists
today. Please, before you imply that someone is lying, check it out.
Oh yes, he may not have said "private parts", but he made it perfectly
clear and we all knew exactly what he meant. I could never have made
up so elaborate a story. That's why I gave names, places, and used my
real name. If you want to talk to me about it, call me or e-mail me.
I am the only "Cama" physician in the nation. Very easy to find. Joe
Cama (the original poster).
SoCal 7000
Don't let the snide remarks from some of the regulars get you down. Thank you
for the post, it was really interesting. I wish I had been there. I was in
college at the same time, but our pool (Cal State LA) was/is outside surrounded
only by a chain link fence. It would never happen there. Also, I have to let
you know, to go to the pool you had to go through the men's showers. The door
was on the other side of the shower corridor.
Take care, and again, thanks for the great post.
Cheef
<19990525124908...@ng-cg1.aol.com>:
>Joe,
>Don't let the snide remarks from some of the regulars get you down.
And some of the irregulars too!
I'm not quite sure what folks were objecting to, other than that they can't
understand how things were different in the 60s than they are in the 90s.
I've been to many pools where the locker facilities were on different
levels and where you've had to walk through a corridor of showers to get to
the pools. Lots of men have relayed stories of the door to the pool being
locked (so visitors couldn't walk in during swim sessions). Although I'm
not old enough to have gone to the Y when they had nude swimming, I do
remember scout leaders, gym teachers, and camp counselors who all used
variations of the "tough guys don't worry about being naked in front of
other tough guys" attitude your instructor expressed. I remember pool
directors in the ealry 70s complaining about how swimsuits made it more
difficult to maintain the pool filtration and wishing for the good old days
of (single-sex) nude bathing.
--
CHEEF.COM http://cheef.com your CHEEF source of nudist info
Clubs, beaches, & other listings Free Newsletters, Chat, & Forums
USA by state & Canada by province Bookstore & Shopping (TanThru Suits!)
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Rincon
Jenny6833A wrote>
>> How do the French naturists on holiday treat Americans >>who can just
stumble along in French?
>
>About the same as American naturists treat foreigners who >just stumble
along in
>English. People will be friendly, but most will be
>disinclined to spend a lot of time struggling with language
>problems. If you want to socialize, it's better to find
>someone who wants to work on their English, and then
>stick to English.
That must explain why it was usually the younger people
whom I spoke to while in Europe who seemed interested in
conversing with me. They must have had more recent
schooling in English and felt more proficient with it than the
people who had been out of school for a while. I guess it's
the same way I now feel about my French ability.
It would be interesting to hear about how nude
recreation is viewed in other countries. I know in Denmark
it seems to be quite acceptable and unremarkable. Some
of the Germans and Austrians seems to consider it a
religious obligation. Was the average French citizen as
uptight about it, do you think, as the average American
and Canadian citizen?
Rincon
--------
Parlez vous anglais, Rincon? Non, je suis americain.
JT
>
> Jenny6833A wrote>
> >> How do the French naturists on holiday treat Americans >>who can just
> stumble along in French?
I was going to suggest changing the subject heading, so I did.
Tim Browne
> Let's see......
>
> 1) There 100 students at an East Coast state university gathered in an
> enclosed space.
> 2) A nude instructor walks in.
> 3) A nude assistant instructor walks in.
> 4) The locker room is DOWNSTAIRS.
> 5) The locker room is below the water level of the pool.
> 6) The assistant instructor LOCKS THE DOOR, against fire and safety
> regulations.
> 7) The instructor threatens to flunk students who wrap a towel around
> their loins, and he has no fear of being sued by angry parents, of
> being
> fired by angry administrators, of losing his teaching credentials for
> indecent exposure before minors.
The basic fallacy behind these points, of course, is that you're judging a
story that happened in the 60's/70's according to the morality of today.
Yes, if it happened today, there would be a Holy Outcry [tm], but in the
70's the YMCA enforced a strict nude only rule in all their pools and
corporal punishment was still a viable option. Trust me... parents and
teachers wouldn't have so much as batted an eyelash. L8r.
--
Victoria Animart - American Prices, Canadian Currency. | HIT Jedi
http://www.focus-asia.com/home/animart | Use the Force, Mike!
--------------------------------------------------------+-----------------------
"No thanks. I'm trying to cut down." - Michael Garibaldi
Rincon
Cama wrote:
>I went to the University of Maryland from 1968-1972 on
>pool.....the class was big--maybe 100 guys...
>...The teacher, about 30 years old...was totally naked... >"we do not wear
clothing in MY pool..."
>...the assistant teacher..was naked
>All of us were very naked...
>...the coach entered, naked, of course. He
>shouted, "Get in line for roll call..."
>We were still all quite naked.
I have spoken to people who attended East Coast
universities in the 60's, and even to people in the athletics
program at the University of Maryland at College Park
who have been there since the early 70's. Every one of
them thought this story was unbelievable! But, ole Rincon
perservered. I called the current swim instructor at his
home, and asked him if men's swim classes in the late
60's were taught with instructors and students in the nude.
He said yes. He didn't know why, he even sounded a
little embarrassed. But he said that he had heard that
the men's swim classes were done nude in the 60's.
Sorry, Joe Cama. Good post!
Rincon
---------
Take down yo' pants, Rincon!
Myqel
When my brother first entered Junior high school, he told me that his class was
required to swim without suits.
This was also in the early 70's
drewbe
>> >Joe Cama
>>
>> Great post Joe.... :o))
>>
>> Drew
>
>
>Hey people,
>
>The story is really true. It is not fantasy. You can easily check the
>info. The "set up" I described with the locker room still exists
>today. Please, before you imply that someone is lying, check it out.
>Oh yes, he may not have said "private parts", but he made it perfectly
>clear and we all knew exactly what he meant. I could never have made
>up so elaborate a story. That's why I gave names, places, and used my
>real name. If you want to talk to me about it, call me or e-mail me.
>I am the only "Cama" physician in the nation. Very easy to find. Joe
>Cama (the original poster).
Joe,
I never said I didn't beleive! I thought it was refreashing to
hear something becides Steve's crusade against ANM ;o)
Thanx
Drew
Robert M. Bratcher Jr
I wonder if the females (in a different class) had to swim nude too?
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brat...@pdq.net
Record collector, 8mm, super 8, 16 and 35mm film collector.
Looking for prerecorded reel to reel tape albums.
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Mike2678
writes:
>I'm not quite sure what folks were objecting to, other than that they can't
>understand how things were different in the 60s than they are in the 90s.
>
Yes things were different then, \Cheef. but what he espoused was/is highly
suspect, even in for 60's. I DO remember the grat times I had nude swimming in
the "Y" pool and the time an entire Boy Scout district had swimming nude in the
LAPD pool one fine evening. IT WAS GREAT, and I wish I could have passed that
on to my two boys.
mike b.
Cama
<mike...@aol.com> wrote:
Mike B,
Please look at the posting of Rincon. He called one of the University
of Maryland coaches this week. The coach substantiated the story I
wrote above. No matter how people try to think that I made it up, I
will repeat, the story is true to fact. Maybe, some of you people
think that you WISHED you were there and that I was fantasizing. I
surly gave you enough info to check out the story. Go on saying how
much you doubt it. I don't care, because it is fact. Why don't you
call me at my office at 570-265-6165 (Guthrie Clinic, Towanda, PA) and
we can discuss it. Only a fool doesn't believe the facts. Incidently,
I receive a few e-mails that were private from people who substantiated
the story. Joe Cama
Patrick Dewey
> Please look at the posting of Rincon. He called one of the University
> of Maryland coaches this week. The coach substantiated the story I
> wrote above. No matter how people try to think that I made it up, I
> will repeat, the story is true to fact. Maybe, some of you people
> think that you WISHED you were there and that I was fantasizing. I
> surly gave you enough info to check out the story. Go on saying how
> much you doubt it. I don't care, because it is fact. Why don't you
> call me at my office at 570-265-6165 (Guthrie Clinic, Towanda, PA) and
> we can discuss it. Only a fool doesn't believe the facts. Incidently,
> I receive a few e-mails that were private from people who substantiated
> the story. Joe Cama
I don't have any reason to doubt your story. Others have posted similar
stories here before. There are old photos showing it wasn't uncommon
for boys, at least, to go skinnydipping. And my father had an Army-Air
Force brochure from the early 40's depicting nude cadets using an indoor
swimming pool. Even the US Senate maintained nude swimming and
sunbathing facilities until female senators showed up and decided to be
offended. It's just too bad that coeducation and integration of the
sexes lead to bans on nudity.
Patrick
eric lee williams
my high school, but some parents
raised a stink and it only lasted one year. And to think; public nude
swimming used to be considered normal !
Cama <ka...@epix.net> wrote in message
news:230519992225054694%ka...@epix.net...
Eric J Fleischer, MD
>
>The story is really true. It is not fantasy. You can easily check the
>info. The "set up" I described with the locker room still exists
>today. Please, before you imply that someone is lying, check it out.
>Oh yes, he may not have said "private parts", but he made it perfectly
>clear and we all knew exactly what he meant. I could never have made
>up so elaborate a story. That's why I gave names, places, and used my
>real name. If you want to talk to me about it, call me or e-mail me.
>I am the only "Cama" physician in the nation. Very easy to find. Joe
>Cama (the original poster).
Joe,
Interesting how some folks assume something is a 'flight of fantasy'
because it relates to a time and place they have not experienced.
I also went to the University of Maryland in the early 70s, and took
the same gym class with swimming in my first semester, fall of 1971. I
remember all the details you describe, including the nude swimming,
the locked door (which had a crash bar, it was not locked to keep us
in, but rather to keep others out, especially the delicate co-eds that
might be shocked by the naked men), and the locker room on a lower
level (which was next to the pool, not underneath it). I also remember
that the pool at Cole Field House had large picture windows between it
and the attached basketball arena, and there were similarly large very
opaque curtains that covered the windows when the men's gym classes
were in session. For those wondering, the women's swimming classes
were held in a different building, and they did not swim nude.
I still live (and practice medicine) near the U of M, and have been
told that the nude men's swim classes ended long ago. Pity, it would
have been better if they continued to let more people get comfortable
with nudity.
<ELF> - Dr Gandalf - Eric J Fleischer, MD
AlfHeim Imaging
drga...@min.net
The Man Who Fell To Earth
downtown where I live, where the locker rooms were away from the pool itself,
and there was a corridor leading to the pool, completely lined with showers.
The pool I currently go to has swimming classes, and whenever they're
teaching classes, the instructor locks all doors, except those leading to the
change rooms from the pool, so that no one who isn't supposed to be there
can't get in. The fire exit is on the other side of the room from the main
entrance and leads directly outside. :-)
Bill Arnett wrote:
> In article <7ib8il$nmj$1...@ash.prod.itd.earthlink.net>, "Rincon"
> <IPa...@LivingCanvas.com> wrote:
>
> > Let's see......
> > 4) The locker room is DOWNSTAIRS.
> > 5) The locker room is below the water level of the pool.
>
> That may be uncommon, but not unfeasible. The UBC pool has saunas, weight
> room and showers below the water lever. The locker room and main showers
> are on the same level as the pool deck.
>
> > 6) The assistant instructor LOCKS THE DOOR, against fire and safety
> > regulations.
>
> That depends. He may have been locking it so no one could get *in* as he
> just had. In fact, it may not even be a fire exit door.
>
> > 8) The showers are in the corridor leading to the pool (locker room
> > downstairs, remember).
>
> Actually, he said there was a *room* as they entered the corridor, but
> I've been in pools where the showers were in a corridor....the idea being
> that you couldn't avoid them.
>
> Cheers.
> --
> Clothing-Optional British Columbia
> http://home.istar.ca/~barnett/cobc.shtml
> =====================================================================
> Bill Arnett Consulting BAr...@istar.ca
> P.O. Box 32593, Aberdeen Centre P.O., Richmond, B.C., Canada V6X 3S1
> ============== "The future is not what it used to be" ===============
jenn...@gmail.com
Colonel Edmund J. Burke
> <bitch-slapped by Virtual Shadow>
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LOL
David Curtin
The pool and the rest of the gym, I think, was "Men-Only". The girls swam at the nearby Prinkert Field house. Of course we all had fantasies of slipping in there to see the girls swimming naked. Unfortunately for our fantasies the girls let us know that bathing suits were required in Prinkert Field House.
I believe that the nude swimming for men was a dying tradition that emulated the the classic Greek educational traditions. From the Greek columns all over campus to the Greek fraternities etc.
Remember the Greek word "GYMNOS" means naked and "GYMNASIUM" was the building were athletes competed in the nude.
Then again maybe the teachers were gay.
I doubt it really was because of an old worn out filter system in the pool.