Swimmers and supporters piled into a competition swimming pool in Watford on the evening of 7 May for the highly anticipated British Naturism National Swimming Gala, and what an event it was! There were 76 competitors, from young children to seniors. Many have swum competitively but a show of hands suggested that more hadn’t.
A glitch with the pool’s timing equipment meant that the judges monitoring each swim lane had to keep the timing. Here’s Mark Bass:
“The volunteer timekeepers and stewards were fantastic, and [Mark] Walsh's coordination of activities even more so. Because of the number of contests, the gala is a logistical nightmare so could very easily go wrong. The fact that there was not a single blip shows just how good the volunteer team was.”
The crowd was enthusiastic, friendly and encouraging. In fact, there was more clapping for the slower swimmers than for the speedy ones! This was new British Naturism Sports Officer Ian Munt’s first outing and his “seamless integration with other parts of the Events team is a sign of how well sports could fit into the existing program under his leadership,” says Mark.
I took the opportunity to quiz a couple of the swimmers. This was Alex’s first-ever encounter with British Naturism. Asked why he decided to compete, he said he realised he was afraid of the event – and didn’t want to be. That same fear drew him to British Naturism, and he’s keen to try other events in what he called “a respectful experiment.” And a winning one this time—he came away with two silver medals!
Next up was Leann Sykes-Hooban who, with husband Matt, is a veteran of British Naturism and international naturist swim galas. We noted the number of women poolside, and I asked for her thoughts on how to get more women into naturism. It’s about being open with people about the clothes-free life, she said. After returning from one of the international meets, she mentioned to colleagues that she’d won a swimming title at a naturist competition. Several minutes later, they started asking questions. “Talking to people about it is the first thing,” she told me. Most are interested – not horrified – and British Naturism’s Just One Person campaign is an effective way to spread the word.
Congratulations to everyone who took part in the gala! And a special well-done to my partner, Dave, who swam his way to two gold medals!