I have never been one to spend much time in a locker room — largely because I am not an athletic type of guy. However, this weekend I found myself in two.
One before and after my second-ever swimming lesson, and one as a result of my desire to play racquetball and do some minor, and I do mean minor, weight-lifting.
The thing that struck me during both my experiences is how so much more comfortable people to seem to be with their bodies than I had realized.
At Wilton Y, for example, it seemed like no one gave a second thought to stripping off their clothing and walking around completely in the nude. It all seemed very odd to me. Me? I preferred to change into and out of my bathing suit in a more private corner of the locker room — inside the confines of a stall.
But the real strangeness struck at a sports club along the Bridgeport/Fairfield line.
I had returned to my bag after playing a very spirited game of racquetball with a former colleague from the Connecticut Post, when I couldnn’t help but notice a very spirited conversation going on right behind me.
As a result of instinct, and curiosity, I turned around and gave a glance so I could then visualize the gabbing folks in my head. To my surprise, a handful of middle-aged men were letting it all hang out while standing around a television talking about high school football in the region. It was, again, very odd to me. My friend, however, who is much more a jock than I ever could be, didn’t seem phased and said he didn’t even notice the nudity. So, I suppose, it was just me.
I was so puzzled by the phenomenon that I spoke with an old college friend who consulted an athletic source and informed me that this was not a unique scenario — but rather something that transcends the gender barrier. Although, she noted, the phenomenon apparently is more common among older folks. Interesting.
