georgetslc
There are a number of pix on the Web showing guys changing from trunks to biking gear in public. Googling
triathlon "public changing" OR "public nudity" OR "naked in public"
finds over 9,000 hits, and among the first 100, all relevant cases either prohibit such behavior or specifically require changing inside tents or buildings. Which suggests that there is reason to state an explicit prohibition.
Given the above, my questions are: Did it use to be allowed for triathlon guys to change in public? Are there any races where it's still permitted, and/or where guys still do so anyway? Are the published bans regularly observed and/or enforced?
To [nameless]: It's not a stupid question, it's an ignorant one--that is, I've told you all I know and confessed ignorance as to more. And if you don't take it as a given that at least the questioner cares to know the answer, you will continue to earn 2 points without deserving them.
Answer
As of 1992, in any USAT Sanctioned event "indecent exposure" is a violation of the rules and will result in a time penalty per section 3.4 article n of the USAT Rules and Regulations. The waiver for a NON-USAT Sanctioned event will usually specify this as being against the rules as well. However, if it is not addressed directly in the race waiver or rules the athlete will abide by the laws governing the town/city/jurisdiction in which they are racing, including laws of indecency and exposure.
As far as I am aware, these laws have not always existed and are rarely enforced outside of USAT events mainly because so few people purposely violate them. With the advantages in clothing technology most athletes don't even change in transition anymore and that eliminated a lot of the cases of exposure that may have occured.
So, in conclusion, in a USAT Santioned event indecent exposure is illegal and has been since at least 1992. I have not come across any earlier sanctions. However, earlier legislation states that all athletes must obey the laws of the juristdiction in which the race takes place, thus any local indeceny laws would be enforced. Outside of USAT events local laws and rules of the race apply as well. Of course there are people who do not obey the rules or accidently expose themselves but it is not a common occurance. An article from ITU history of triathlon states, " In some of the earliest races, tents were provided for changing clothes. In the modern day, however, competition and pressure for time has led to the development of specialized triathlon clothing that is adequate for both swimming and cycling, meaning many racers' transitions consist of little more than removing goggles and pulling on a helmet and cycling shoes." So the tents seem to go way back with the sport.
If we think about this historically, triathlon originated in France in the 1920's and 30's and at that time there was no need to change clothes anyway because they would basically swim, bike and run in a one-piece athletic suit. The specialization of clothing that would lead to having to change came about in later years and made the tents unecessary.
From experience, I've never seen this rule enforced and I have only seen it broken accidently in transition. I have seen it stated on waivers of non-USAT canctioned events that all local laws must be followed.
Hope this helps, very insightful question!
How do you change into a swimsuit without showing anything?
ZombieShag
Hi, at my school we will be starting swimming soon and I do not want to show myself to everyone in the locker room! Neither do I want to wait in the agonizing line for the two bathroom stalls to change.
My locker is pretty far away from other people, though. So I'm not EXTREMELY worried. But I still do not want everyone to see everything.
I was thinking of changing underneath a night gown or towel....Does anyone have any tips?
I'm not a guy.
Answer
The following instructions use a towel to protect your modesty, and are for a one-piece swimsuit or a bra-/halter-top type bikini (won't work for tankinis/sports bra-type tops, since these have to be donned/doffed like a vest). The towel does not need to be huge--2 x 4 ft is more than big enough. I assume you will be starting fully dressed (helps if you're wearing a loose T-shirt) and assuming that you're not shy about people seeing you in your underwear:
Take off your shoes and socks.
Take off your skirt/pants.
Wrap a towel around your waist, above your hips, but under your shirt.
Reach under the towel, pull down your underwear, and step out of it.
Step into your swimsuit [or bikini bottom] and pull it up to your hips, and remove the towel.
Reach under your shirt and unhook your bra (if worn).
Pull your arms out of your shirt sleeves and slip the bra off your shoulders (this is why you need a loose shirt).
Reach down to the bunched/rolled swmsuit, and slip your arms into the straps, then pull the suit up under your shirt. [If you're wearing a bikini, then put on the top half as you would normally, but under the shirt]
Remove shirt.
Adjust swimsuit to sit comfortably (untwist straps, etc.).
And you're done.
To put your clothes back on, reverse the above steps with the following modifications, given that you will be wet from the pool/shower:
Dry off your head, shoulders and upper chest.
Slip the swimsuit straps[/bikini halter] off your shoulders[/neck].
Spread your towel across your shoulders, or wrap it around you directly under your armpits.
Reach under the towel and pull the upper half of your swimsuit down[/off].
Dry your chest and belly, then fasten your bra around you and lift it up into place under the towel.
Move your towel down to your waist and slip your arms into the bra straps.
Pull your shirt on.
Pull the lower half of your swimsuit down and off, and dry your lower half.
Pull up your underwear under the towel, and remove towel.
Pull up your skirt/pants.
Remove towel and dry your lower legs and feet.
Replace socks and shoes.
Roll up wet swimsuit in the damp towel.
And you're done.
Practise the above in private first (e.g. at home in front of the bedroom/bathoroom mirror), until you can do this without struggling.
Or just get over it. Trust me on this, everyone else is likely to be as self-conscious as you, and no-one wants to get caught staring.
EDIT: @KnickName. I use a similar technique when I go diving in conservative (e.g. Muslim) countries to get into (and out of) my wetsuit without exposing too much skin. It takes me about 5 mins (although admittedly I don't have to worry about a bra).
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
