Y policy from back in the day

[Tommy10]

In 1989 I was 9, and needed some swim lessons. We had a pool at home and I could float and dog paddle, but had no actual strokes. This Y did not permit males 12 and under to wear a suit/briefs/trunks at any time, not for lessons, laps, or open swim. Males and females were not in the pool or on the deck at the same time, but some of the lifeguards were women and my classes were taught by a woman. I'll add the skills and confidence in the water that I gained have served me well my whole life. I remember getting signed up at the front desk and the woman explaining the policy, and the embarrassment the ensued. I also remember the "moment of truth" at my first lesson when I had to exit the locker room and walk into the pool area feeling like a million people were staring and laughing, despite the fact it was only the instructor, lifeguard, and some dude in the place lol! I'm not complaining about the Y, it did a great service for me!

From what I found, this was the norm at the Y up until the 70s for males of all ages, but some how this Y held out for quite some time, albeit only for the 12 and under crowd. Anyone else had or heard of a similar experience in the late 80s or beyond, or was this Y simply stuck in the twilight zone?

Tommy

 

[SparkyDog]

That's odd never heard of that before and why an age limit so teens could wear trunks but little kids couldn't? seems very suspicious
I grew up in 80s & 90s
all my kids swimming lessons I very much wore a bathing suit. We all wore trunks as guys and girls in one piece.
I had IC issues then but only pee so definitely left some urine in the pool.
Our local city pools have signs saying doesn't matter what you wear to cover up as long as your face is not covered.
Our city pools allow females to go topless but none do.
Even babies and toddlers are wearing a swim diaper. No nudity outside the change room

 

[Tommy10]

That's odd never heard of that before and why an age limit so teens could wear trunks but little kids couldn't? seems very suspicious

I know there was (and still is) restrictions on the fabrics used on suits, like no cotton or wool - suits must be synthetic due to fibers impeding filtration performance. As for the age limit, on one hand it's weird, on the other it seems like a remnant of previous times. As mentioned, males of all ages were not permitted to wear anything at Y pools up until sometime in the 70's. This Y also had separate times for males and females lap and open swims, so probably run by some "old school" folks who did not think it was a big deal for 12 and under.

I grew up in 80s & 90s
all my kids swimming lessons I very much wore a bathing suit. We all wore trunks as guys and girls in one piece.

Yes, everywhere else I went (summer camp, etc) a suit was required. This was just the Y.