Burnley Grammar School

Robbie, You were very sharp to have spotted Dr Dawn Harper in that photograph. She was in a television programme with some young men, whose friend had died from testicular cancer, and showed them how they should check their testicles. But the the photograph is inexplicable. The blogger seems to think it's genuine but I wonder...

Comment by: Ben on 28th April 2023 at 17:31
Thanks Craig for your post about bareskin running! Sounds a great idea and something I'd like to give a try some time when I'm in your neck of the woods. How often do you usually meet? Barechested PE in the gym wasn't uncommon when I was at school late 80s/early 90s, but I never experienced it in cross country. Maybe now's the time!




Is this you Ben? Only asking because its the same full name as your email icon popped up that you left with your post and there were some posts on the same subject as here too.

https://www.quora.com/profile/Ben-Thomas-306

"Woody" commented <In the same lesson someone smacked a ball against the wall, nothing unusual in that, except it hit the fire alarm box and cracked the glass setting it off and sending us all outside only ten minutes into the lesson. A couple of teachers lent one or two their coats to cover and warm up while the rest of us just braved it and shivered until we got back inside.>


We had loads of fire drills at school. It seemed like one every term. I've no idea if they do as many nowadays but it became a bit of a running joke at one point. We might have even had one or two unofficial ones, I'm not sure. I never gave it much thought that I might be in a PE lesson during one and what that might entail. That's the trouble with these things, you can't collect belongings and must head for the nearest fire exit fast and assemble ASAP, with whatever you have with you or on you and nothing else.

Lance on 4th May 2023 at 00:21


No, I wouldn't, Lance. I prefer to feel comfortable.

TimH

Thanks for checking the link - I had checked it myself and found it working.

For the sceptics:
1 - Yes, I am Male.
2 - My username has a derivation of no concern here, but is not gender-related.
3 - I have watched these threads with much interest, but I haven't posted for a long time as I have nothing new to contribute, beyond my experiences of school PE over half a century ago.
4 - I'm flattered to see my posts reproduced, but in "quotes" please.

Rant over! Back to meaningful discussion.

@ Mike et al.
Just to say that I simply 'cut & pasted' the URL and it came up. I don't think I've any special 'exemptions' set up on the PC so why other people can't get it I don't know.

Cutting and pasting - this is what appears:

I've heard that there are still some schools which require boys bing shirtless for P.E. and some don't allow underwear under gym shorts.
Do you know any school with such a rule?I don't know any.(I would like to know the school's names,website...etc. proving it)
What is/was your PE kit at school? (with school names)

Followed by:

Primary School: age 5 - 10
There was no special kit (this was not many years after WW2 when clothing was rationed) and we generally did PE in whatever we had on at the time. This was generally cotton (summer) or woollen (winter) vest (singlet for non-UK English speakers) and fly-front underpants, topped with grey flannel shorts and grey shirt, with a woollen jumper in cold weather. I remember one Summer afternooon, just before I left primary school, the PE master made us (boys at least, I can't remember if we did PE mixed or not) strip to the waist for PE in the sun in the playground. I remember confiding in this episode with my younger sister, but for some reason I was reluctant to tell my parents, probably because the prospect of kids going about without vests on was rather revolutionary in most households at that time.

Secondary School 1: age 11 - 16
Specified PE kit was white shorts and PE vest; on economy grounds, those of us who regularly wore underwear vests, i.e. initially virtually all of us, got into the habit of substituting our normal everyday vest for the latter item. After I had been at this school for a couple of years, the PE staff decided that it would be healthier for us to do PE topless and took a vote among us on the matter. Not surprisingly, toplessness got a 100% vote. With this garb, "Shirts and Skins" was obviously out, so we had coloured sashes to distinguish teams when necessary. Although we were expected to wear vests between the changing room and the gym, this rule was honoured more in the breach than the observance and we soon got into the habit of "forgetting" to put our vests back on under our shirts after PE. As we had PE every day of the week, generally in the mornings, we ended up minus our vests for much of the school week and soon most of us didn't bother coming to school in a vest at all, much to the concern of most of our parents, who felt that all children should wear vests all the year round, regardless of climate. There was no prohibition on the wearing of underwear, although for the first couple of years, most of us freeballed. At one point, probably when we were 12 or 13 and one lad got accidentally kicked in the "privates", the PE master advised us that we should think about wearing some form of support, and mentioned a thing called a "jock-strap". I don't think any of us had ever heard of this item of clothing, and i don't think any of us took the trouble to obtain one, but most of us took the hint, and from then on we tended to keep our underpants on for PE.

Secondary School 2: age 16 - 18
Specified PE kit was rather more conservative, white T-shirt and black rugby shorts, and no exceptions. Despite a persistent campaign by myself and a few others who arrived from schools where topless PE was customary, full kit was the inflexible rule, except for the beginning and end of term weigh-in, when for some reason we would strip down to our shorts. Since the shorts weighed rather more than the T-shirts, the logic behind this still escapes me. "Shirts and Skins" was out, sashes distinguished teams. There were no underwear rules, or even recommendations, but for comfort and safety we generally all wore some form of support, principally swimming trunks (Speedo type) or, increasingly, jock-straps, which we preferred once we had tried them out. This was where I got my first jock-straps, which I still find the ideal mimimal male undergarment, and which I generally regularly wear, particularly at week-ends.

The 'author' of the reply is 'Sidona'.
The only other comment I'd make is that the OP asks questions which are remarkably like those that a regular poster who appears to have left us might have made.

I can say no more.

Regarding the Tapatalk site, I don't think you would need to see it, to assume if is a fetish site, clearly a collection of strange men, and perhaps a few women, who seem over concerned about what young boys wear, or don't wear, when they are exercising. Not exactly edifying anyway, though fine, as Miss Jean Brodie would say, "for those who like that sort of thing"

Jeremy, there is something on that pixnudeswim swimming site you've placed on here that the blogger thinks might not be real but I can say for sure it is. Going to the 'Leftovers' tab on the left hand side, click it and then scroll right down to the final image number 29 which shows a woman standing with 8 full frontal naked young lads. The blogger (American?) seems to think that photo is bizarre but it's absolutely bona fide genuine. It comes from a Channel 4 TV series, he wouldn't know that probably, the name which now escapes me but was in the Embarrassing Bodies genre, it might even have been that show. The woman is actually a doctor, Dr Dawn Harper I think that is, and I've got a feeling the lads with her were a hockey team or something like that. I remember seeing this it must be about ten years ago now. Just another example of earlier gratuitous nudity from Channel 4 pushing the boundaries into CFNM territory. Do not even begin to ask me why there was a need for that to be filmed, I can't remember that much more.

Would you go bareskin running Alan with others like yourself if you thought it would instill greater confidence in you? Genuine question.

Regards your post Stephen.

The boys always had to shower through to fifth form at my secondary in the 80s but the girls didn't but could decide for themselves. They had all the same available options. Two sisters almost never bothered. It's just one of these things where boys seem to get treated so much stricter for some reason and have a need to be told what to do while girls are seen as mature enough to make decisions even when they are very young.

I'm getting a message saying - no route found, for the tapatalk link, so yet again I'm another saying it does not work.

Comment by: Ken on 27th April 2023 at 21:40
Between 1951 and 1955 I was away at a boarding school for boys.

I was minded to write because I have seen so many of you on here take great issue with the upper half of the body being shown off whilst in PE. This was the usual way boys did PE as a boarder at my school too. It didn't appear to be an issue in any way at all. It was something we would do without thinking, because actually we had even more to lose.

The younger boys, of which I was one in 1951 would never wear a costume to swim. We would have completely naked swimming instruction weekly, if my mind is correct until the age of possibly about 13. Once again, there were no complaints, I refer to the deference of the time again. Your tutors were without question and you did what they said. They were always right, or so they wanted you to believe. Personally I would not have chosen to do that but the novelty soon faded and it seemed completely normal within our school community. It was more than 20 years later when one of my lifelong friends from school caught up with me, now a lecturer himself, sometime in the 1970's and I found out how much he deplored our school and our compulsory naked swimming class with something like 20 boys. I did not feel so strongly and accepted it for what it was at the time and place it happened.







Well that part was quite interesting Ken. I didn't seem to do much swimming at school but did spend time larking about with my clothes off in a weir near home with other kids during two or three summers about 55 years ago. We got into enormous trouble doing it one day, I think more for trespassing and the water danger rather than discarding all our clothing and frolicking about naked outside. It was not a very public area anyway, that's why we did it, and it would have been easy for someone to accidentally drown and not get proper help. Those were the risks kids took then.

My late grandfather told me about doing something similar at school more than a century ago in the 1910's and I always used to think he embellished a lot of his olden days stories that he would tell me in his old age.

Here is a site that seems to take a critical look at this kind of swimming and whether all is what it seems when researched. There does not seem to be anything British on it that I noticed at a quick glance but I've not had an exhaustive read of it.

https://pixnudeswim.com

I had all my PE lessons through comprehensive in the mornings only, good point about having the lesson just after lunch if you have a big appetite. Never even considered that. At my school the set school dinner would never have blown you out but at another one I went to you could pay for whatever you wanted and have as much as you could afford.

My PE teacher drew attention to my belly button which stuck out a little bit, telling me and anyone else in earshot that I was quite rare like that, thus instantly making me feel self conscious and fixated when I hadn't been at all or even noticed such differences. PE at the secondary school I attended was shirtless for gym every Monday straight after lunch, and as I liked my food and filled my face in the school canteen I was often doing PE on a very full stomach and felt it noticed to look at because we had our shirts off and a teacher once made a "too many chips" quip at me. I was average weight, not fat. We were not allowed to put tops on in that lesson. I think I began eating a lot less on Monday's just so I was doing PE on less of a full stomach.

In the same lesson someone smacked a ball against the wall, nothing unusual in that, except it hit the fire alarm box and cracked the glass setting it off and sending us all outside only ten minutes into the lesson. A couple of teachers lent one or two their coats to cover and warm up while the rest of us just braved it and shivered until we got back inside.

Link doesn't work at all. How did you manage it then Tim, do tell us.

I wasn't especially interested in reading that link but based on what others have said compared to you Tim I thought I'd also have a go and it's the same result for me also, the link "Sidona" provided simply does not work and I've used it on Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Firefox and also CCleaner internet browsers.

The Sidona & Sid issue does not make a great deal of sense to me I must say. If Sid has used someone else's words then why, although there was an explanation, but then considering they were written such a long time ago now it also seems incredible that the alleged original poster just happened to notice immediately themselves and answered back when there is no evidence they have been active here for an eternity.

If anyone remembers the Maypole chat this time last year which took off somewhat, I've just noticed some kids about 10 near me at the local school looking like they are practicing around one in their PE kits.

Folks - this is most interesting - because I've tried it in several browsers and it opens OK for me. Have you got any 'restrictions' on the web addresses you can access?
(Personally I wouldn't bother too much!)
T

The link doesn't work for me as well TimH, and I've made multiple attempts.

No need to make too much of a big deal about it this one time though. Copying is actually a very schooldays thing isn't it, I remember how I often used to shield my work with my hand from a rather thick boy in class who was always looking across at my books in maths to use what I had already done.

Going back to Craig's bareskin running reminds me of a very early morning last summer when I left the house shortly after 4am and it was just becoming bright when in the park near me where I was having a walk and expecting to be completely alone I suddenly found two shirtless male runners coming towards me, I was surprised to see them and I think they were to see me too. It was more the fact they were both out jogging just after 4am that surprised me rather than them being shirtless as they went. It was a warm summer night after all.

The link does not work for me either Tim, cut and pasted into various browsers.

This is quite a strange little plagiarism spat isn't it.

I agree with you Andy.

Sidona your comment from 2010 makes clear you are a male, but the name you use is female. Also, are there any further examples of comments on here you can point us to or was that the only one and have you really been reading this for so long without ever writing another comment until now?

Something doesn't quite add up here.

Jim
The link does work - at least for me
https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/barefootdad/pe-kit-shirtless-barefoot-and-no-underwear-
t95.html

(I have no connection with Sid or Sidona!)

T

Sidona, that link does not work. I'm not convinced. You have not posted on here in very many years so it seems and have instantly discovered a 13 year old post, a post older than a lot of current secondary school kids!

Whatever the case, what Sid (or you) wrote seemed okay to me and if it has been lifted from you then just feel flattered that something so old was deemed worthy of another mention. What's that old cliche - immitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Please see:

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/barefootdad/pe-kit-shirtless-barefoot-and-no-underwear-
t95.html

You might have to read down quite a long way.

TimH

I've been found out plagiarising my own words and recycling them again from many years ago but I thought they were worth repeating at the current state of the discussion and had placed a broadly similar comment elsewhere on a couple of other boards. I do believe I may have just been what is known as gaslit. I do much prefer forums where the name has to be fully registered to post.

Looks @ Sidona - nods sagely ...

Yes ... a fair bit of copying there.

T

In the early to middle 1970's when I crossed over from primary to secondary school both the schools at the younger and older age group ran their indoors gymnasium PE lessons in what I suppose would be considered the purest form, and that was everyone went to PE in their bare feet and nothing else and boys were not permitted to put any type of top on and all in class were shirtless. We wore very dark navy blue shorts to PE, and could wear our underpants beneath them although I definitely know that I saw some in my class of the time in secondary removing their pants and just wearing the shorts alone through choice. I always think of this very minimalist turn out for school PE to be the purest form of attire for the subject.

In primary girls shared the indoors lesson and the swimming class. Outside the boys did the more gender stereotypical things and the girls their own.

The primary school I was at told boys to shower. The boys changing room had a quite cramped oblong shower area we all had to use with a little brownish coloured glycerin bar of soap we rubbed directly onto our skin all over ourselves which foamed very easily and quickly when in contact with warm water. Even in primary we were not allowed to miss out on this requirement usually more associated with the 11+ school age group in the bigger schools. The girls did not shower like the boys at primary because the girls changing room was smaller than the boys one and did not have a shower which perhaps many of them were grateful for.

I remember playing in the street where I lived with other boys from school at primary age and being outside looking no different to when I was in school PE, possibly wearing some sandals and shorts and leaving it at that. A couple of times I went around my friends back garden at the rear of our house with others from school and there was a small inflatable pool set up in the middle of the lawn and four or five of us were larking around the garden completely stark naked at the age of 8 or 9 not even bothering that someone else's mum saw us or anyone else peering over a quite low garden fence, and when there was an orange juice offered we went in and sat around the dining room table drinking it and not putting anything on to do so before going back outside.

Unlike others who felt the switch to bigger schools at 11+ it really held no fears for me because I think I'd gained an immense amount of confidence and a carefree attitude by being at primary like that and having young friends who didn't care about hanging out around someone's house like I've described.

It's an innocence from the early 70's that needs to be reclaimed.

Sid - your blatant plagiarism of my post from 2010 is noted and hereby placed on record. CEASE and DESIST!

Heather you made some good points but do you mean stripped off only inside? I was packed off to boarding school when I was 8 and though a vest was on the kit list it was marked for "outside use only at teachers discretion" Our day (except for Sunday) started with an early morning run around the school field with everyone stripped off. We also had a 1.5 hour PE/Games lesson timetabled daily. In the gym we were stripped off which was a good thing as we were pushed to show sweat. When we were outside we'd either all be stripped off or we'd play vests vs skins with the teachers choosing who'd strip. Every lesson had a barechested element to it and we never had a lesson where everyone kept a vest on.
Some adapted quicker than others but once we'd adjusted it was okay but the winter months were hard and there was never any let up. If we didn't meet the teachers expectations we'd do a 2hr session usually outside and always in our own time to make up for it.

Darren, your comment is very interesting indeed. But I don't think you have to be an automatically hugely confident and self assured person to be the type that casts their stuff off to go on a run. I think you could still have a modest personality and do so. On the other hand I am reasonably comfortable in my own body and not a great deal ever concerned me at school along those lines compared to others, however I would not choose to run shirtless as a mature adult now, but then I don't think I'd choose to run, full stop. When not driving I make sure I get my exercise using two wheels and a saddle rather than two feet, other than walking of course. I drive to work because of the strange hours I do, but other than that I'll always opt to pedal.

Where abouts in the country are you then John?

Your own interest in this just goes to prove my point about how surprisingly easy it was to get a group together who wanted to start doing this when I began doing it not so long ago.

Saturday evening we ended up with 7 and got in at around 9pm, just about after dusk fell. It was the perfect running evening from my point of view, neither warm nor chilly, and not breezy, plus dry. We did about 18,000 steps which was approximately 7 or 8 miles at a very steady pedestrian pace doing so in an hour and a half. Some of us finish up dripping sweat and others hardly notice a thing.