1947 replies to this topic

[Sparky]

Are you serious? Where was this?

(Maybe I should ask, when was this? 14th century? Ancient Greece? Weirdest thing I've heard all day...!)

I am serious, this was here in Victoria in the 50's and 60's as well around North America.

The following is a quote from Wikipedia

...Before the YMCA began to admit females in the early 1960s, swimming trunks were not even allowed in the pools,[6] and high school swimming classes for boys sometimes had similar policies, citing the impracticality of providing and maintaining sanitary swimming gear and clogging swimming pools' filtration systems with lint fibers from the swimsuits. These practices were common because of the perception that there was nothing wrong or sexual about seeing members of the same gender in the nude, especially in these indoor contexts among equals in 'birthday suit uniform'...

You can Google Images "YMCA nude boys swimming" and see for yourself.

[Holden West]

Heh, I beat you by one minute. I had never heard of this nude swimming thing until I read an article in Esquire about Mr. Rogers.

[Sparky]

Heh, I beat you by one minute. I had never heard of this nude swimming thing until I read an article in Esquire about Mr. Rogers.

Nice work. I type slow.

[aastra]

I had friends up from Seattle w/ 3 little kids and they raved about how awesome it was...

I've also known out-of-towners to be impressed by the Crystal Pool, although I've never really understood why.

I like the big domed windows on the roof because they let so much sunlight straight down into the place, and I suppose I also like the improvised cardio areas because they're open and so in touch with the swimming pool. But those are the two biggest compliments I can pay the place.

[Baro]

As a kid I loved this pool above all others for 2 reasons:

TONS of foam floats for building epic pool-forts

Underwater window

[victorian fan]

Thanks gumgum, that does give me some perspective. I think the Y has helped a lot of people, and I have not had enough experience to know a lot about their mandate. It was the written word that caught my attention.

My brother went to the Y on Saturdays. He had to swim in the nude. That was the rule.
I always felt there was something odd about that.

One of my boyfriends belonged to the Y. I remember being rather shocked when I heard about the nude swimming. That was in the old YMCA building.

[Sparky]

One of my boyfriends belonged to the Y. I remember being rather shocked when I heard about the nude swimming. That was in the old YMCA building.

How many boyfriends do you have?

[aastra]

Silly me. Before now it never even occurred to me that there would have been a swimming pool in that old YMCA building.

[victorian fan]

How many boyfriends do you have?

Quite a few when I first dated but not all at once.

Such a long time ago and I've been married over 40 years.

[North Shore]

What's so strange about nude swimming? At the school I went to, if you forgot your trunks on swimming day, it was into the pool starkers...

[VicHockeyFan]

What's so strange about nude swimming? At the school I went to, if you forgot your trunks on swimming day, it was into the pool starkers...

I'm sure even "shirts and skins" is not allowed in school now.

[concorde]

My brother went to the Y on Saturdays. He had to swim in the nude. That was the rule.
I always felt there was something odd about that.

Sounds like the Y used to be run on catholic priests, haha

[manuel]

There's no reason a new Y pool couldn't allow non members. They do now. You pay a drop-in fee, just like any pool.

As far as I can remember the Y's drop in fees are far higher than elsewhere in the city. Their business model would need to change if it were to be an open use facility.

Disclosure: when the new CEO came in to the Y here, both my wife (staff at the time) and I (member) had problems. They contracted her work out without notice, while for me the open use lanes in the pool went from three to one when I coudl swim, meaning that I couldn't swim 10 metres without waiting for someone. Handed in my membership that day and haven't been back

[Mike K.]

Open Victoria has revealed that the City is keeping mum on Crystal Pool upgrades and is not releasing documents to the public. OV has reasons to believe that the pool might be the next multi-million dollar infrastructure expense that will be thrown at tax payers in similar fashion to the JSB problem that reared its head only after the election.

Crystal Pool: The Next “January Surprise”?
By Ross Crockford, Open Victoria
http://openvictoria....nuary-surprise/

Early in 2009, just as Victoria’s newly elected councillors were settling into their chairs, they were hit with a shocking report. The Johnson Street Bridge, City staff said, would need to be refurbished or replaced in the next two years, or it faced decommissioning.

You know the rest – frantic applications for federal funds, heated debates about seismic risk and traffic demand, a $49-million borrowing bylaw, a referendum – and all the while, Victoria voters wondered why the state of the bridge had never been discussed before the 2008 election.

Well, history may be about to repeat itself. Early in the new year, Victorians may get another costly surprise, this time concerning the Crystal Pool. [Read more]

[G-Man]

I doubt it. The Crystal Pool is the project that they should have been working on in the first place. It has been on the replacement docket for at least 10 years also so it would hardly be a surprise. Just look at the fact that this thread exists.

[jklymak]

^ Hopefully it will come up during the campaign!

[Mike K.]

I doubt it. The Crystal Pool is the project that they should have been working on in the first place. It has been on the replacement docket for at least 10 years also so it would hardly be a surprise. Just look at the fact that this thread exists.

When you're talking $58-million and it's not on the forefront of City Hall's agendas and not a component of political campaign platforms, you bet it will be a surprise to the average Victoria voter when the pricetag rears its head.

If you were to ask the average Victorian what infrastructure expenses we have they'd overwhelmingly point to the bridge, pipes and roads. Few would have any idea that the Crystal Pool has a $58-million renewal pricetag lingering in the shadows.

[G-Man]

Well I would kind of blame the citizen for that one. I have known for years. I don't work for the city. You can't speed even if you don't know the speed limit. I ignorance is not a valid excuse.

[jklymak]

Sure, but I hope that candidates will be pressed on how they will handle all the upcoming infrastructure challenges, including this one. Too many of these folks get elected on social justice platforms that have little to do with municipal politics.

[aaroninvictoria]

When you're talking $58-million and it's not on the forefront of City Hall's agendas and not a component of political campaign platforms, you bet it will be a surprise to the average Victoria voter when the pricetag rears its head.

If you were to ask the average Victorian what infrastructure expenses we have they'd overwhelmingly point to the bridge, pipes and roads. Few would have any idea that the Crystal Pool has a $58-million renewal pricetag lingering in the shadows.

Yes the $58mil for the pool is big, but check out the $$$ (hundreds of millions?) for new sewers and storm drains... we will need the new pool, because our houses will not have any sewage! Back to Roman Times where the only running water is in the public bath house (funny, but not funny at the same time)