A Traditional Swim Ch. 04

Sara found a beachfront bar with a fixable house on an adjoining lot on a French island. After a bit of negotiation, and a substantial contribution to the local authorities' pet project, we were able to have both properties designated as a "quartier naturiste." Having closed the deal, Sara largely ceded implementation to Sally.

Sara's focus shifted back to swimming. She had learned about a swimming competition which a naturist group sponsored in a large natatorium in suburban Paris. According to Sara's research, the competition was open to anyone who achieved a qualifying time, provided that you were willing to compete nude. Online, Sara had found photographs from a prior competition that showed the large amount of permanent seating in the facility.

"Imagine, all those seats filled with spectators; bending over and taking your mark on the blocks with nothing on, fully exposed before all of those people," Sara mused. Then she shifted into her determined mode. "This meet is something which we MUST do."

When Sara sets a goal, she quickly plans out how to achieve it and quickly implements her plan. Her new goal was that she and I would both compete in the nude swim meet in France. Fortunately, there were several months for us to attain the qualifying times. We'd need those months, I more than her.

Having been a competitive swimmer, Sara knew quite a bit about training. She developed a training regimen that we both adhered to rigidly (Sara because she was determined, I because I love Sara). Sara thought that ocean swimming, fighting the waves, would build strength; so we spent hours in the water off of our new home and business. Sara, who can be extremely persuasive, also found a municipal pool on our island and persuaded the authorities to let us train there a couple of days a week, very early before the pool opened to the public. Personally, I think that the men who operated the pool allowed us to do that because they enjoyed seeing Sara nude on the pool deck, as she often was. I don't blame them. Sara was, and is, a very beautiful lady, in or out of a swimsuit.

Sara had some interesting training techniques. For example, to strengthen my kick, she would have me extend both arms in front of me. Then she would tie my wrists together. While I could extend my arms over my head to dive into the pool, I could not stroke with my arms and had to rely exclusively on my kick.

Sara also entered us in every competition she could find in North America, South America, and the Caribbean. Virtually all of those competitions were clothed, which reaffirmed my strong preference for being nude when I swim. Sara acquired a couple of new competition suits. Viewed from most angles, they were simply black competition suits in the new style, running half-way down her thighs. However, if the right light, her suits became essentially transparent.

"If I have to wear something to compete, I want it to be something that still lets people see the real me," she explained. My staid young lawyer had become an exhibitionist. To my slight surprise, Sara was never questioned about those suits.

After intense work, Sara recorded qualifying times in the 100m and 200m freestyle and fly. I managed to qualify for the age-group (read "Geezer") competition in the 50m and 100m breaststroke. Sara was thrilled. I'm not sure that Sally was enthused about the two of us devoting so much time to this just as we were starting a new business. We asked Sally to come to France to take pictures of us at the meet. She declined, arguing that someone had to stay on the island to "mind the store." We had hired an American couple who had been cruising the Caribbean to work as our cook and chief bartender. Sally was forming a close relationship with them.

Living on a French island, we had direct flights to Paris Charles DeGaulle airport. Sara and I landed two days before the competition started. After a day playing restrained tourist in Paris, we went to the far suburb where the competition was held the day before the meet to check in. Fully clothed, a young lady with the naturist federation gave us our passes, a meet schedule (en francais), and assigned us to a dorm room. She also showed us around the pool area, explaining, per Sara's translation, that the natatorium seated 5,100 people and all sessions of the meet were sold out. She showed us the surprisingly small unisex changing and shower rooms under the stands, and pointed out that there were no lockers so we should bring as little as possible when we came to compete.

The dorm being used to house the swimmers was a very large, drab building about two blocks from the natatorium. I've no idea what it is used for normally. Our assigned room was on the fourth floor. Upon entering, we learned that we had roommates: two German ladies. While they were pleasant enough, it created a problem as the room had only two beds. While Sara and I intended to sleep together, the German ladies made clear that they did not. Oh well, I'd slept on the floor before and Sara could use me as a mattress. The room had a small WC. There was a large communal shower down the hall.

The pool was open for practice that afternoon. Sara and I did a few practice laps, found a tolerable bistro for an early dinner, and went to sleep early. Because the whole competition was shoe-horned into two days, the meet started at 9:00 the next morning. At 6:00, the shower was full of people shaving their, or their partners', whole bodies. Sara and I shaved each other, put on warm-ups, and were at the pool by 8:00 as directed.

By 8:30, we could hear a crowd over our heads in the stands. An official stood on a bench and explained, in French and English, that the competition would start with the competitors marching into the pool area and around the pool deck. We were then to be seated in the competitors' area while there was a short ceremony, and then heats would begin. At that point, the official asked us to please remove all of our clothes.

After stripping down, we formed into a two column line to march into the pool. There were more swimmers than the change room could hold, so we were pressed firmly into the bare skin of the couple in front of us, as two people behind us were pressed into us. My dick was jammed against of the brunette in front of me.

"Its not quite where I'd fancy it, but having a penis touching my body anywhere is a right start to my day," the brunette said in an Australian accent, turning her head towards me as much as she could. In the moments before entering into the pool, we became friends of a sort with the brunette, Dawn, and her partner, Geoff. Since Sara and I were in full bare body contact with them, conversation was inevitable. They seemed a very pleasant couple.

The lines decompressed as the swimmers began entering the pool. The first thing that struck me was that the pool area was much cooler than the cramped change room. The second was that the stands were, indeed, full of clothed spectators. Geoff turned half around to us and said "great fun to be walking starkers in front of all this lot, right?"

Sara, smiling broadly, squeezed my hand. Leaning towards me, she said softly, "I'm glad were down here naked instead of up there dressed."

Trying to imitate the Olympics slightly, we swimmers waved to the stands as we circled the large pool. Our concern that Sally might not have been allowed to take pictures if she had come evaporated swiftly. The pool area seemed filled with cameras and video recorders. As we marched behind the blocks, Sara gestured to a group of photographers set up behind the blocks.

"They'll have some great pictures of us starting," Sara said. Indeed, Sara was able to get a lovely picture of her from behind on the blocks just before she started a race which is now framed and on the wall of our house.

Dawn, exclaimed, "Damn, I'm only swimming backstroke. Geoff will have to get a few of me on the blocks after the session."

We gathered in the competitors' area while a couple of nude older men made short speeches. Sara's summary translation was that they were officials of the federation welcoming the swimmers and crowd. Then a striking lady of about 40 came to the microphone wearing a very stylish (to my eye) business suit. Sara's translation was that the lady was the mayor of this municipality and she was welcoming us all to her community. Then, although the lady was still speaking, Sara giggled. I looked at her quizzically.

Trying to stifle another giggle, Sara said "the mayor said that she wants to impress the naturists with their welcome here and intends to demonstrate her solidarity with us."

As Sara finished her translation, the mayor took a step back from the mic. She took off her jacket and handed it to a woman I took to be her aide. The mayor kicked off her shoes, unbuttoned her blouse, unzipped and stepped out of her skirt. Standing in a bra, hose, and panties, the mayor hesitated a moment. Then she took off her bra, pushed down and stepped out of the pantyhose, then pushed down her panties. Fully nude, she raised both arms over her head to great applause. You had to love it.

Smiling, the mayor stepped back to the mic. Per Sara, she said that she had never done this before, but that it felt wonderful and that she was going to have to go naked more often.

That ended the ceremony. Save for those swimming right away, we swimmers went back into the change room. With little to do before our heats, we chatted with Dawn and Geoff. Sara complained about our dorm situation.

"We've not got any roommates, and we've got two beds," Geoff said. "We only need one, as I expect do you. Why don't you move in with us tonight?" We did only need one bed, so the logic of his suggestion was inescapable.

The heats went quickly and, before long, it was time for Sara's first swim. She put on her swim cap and we walked with her out onto the deck. Nude, the swimmers loosened behind their respective blocks. Each, in turn, was introduced to the crowd, and waved. Then they were called to their blocks, and called set. Sara looked stunning, naked, bent over on the blocks ready to start. She looked stunning in the water, too winning her heat, which put her into the final. Later in the morning, Dawn won her heat as well; and Geoff swam second, which qualified him for the final.

Sara's first final was in the early afternoon. The visual was just as appealing as the morning, but two swimmers were faster than she. Still, third place put her on the podium.

They did have medals ceremonies. Each of the top three swimmers stood nude behind a small platform with three different levels. As the third place finisher, Sara stepped onto her place as her name was announced and stood there as the second and first place finishers stood up. Then, one of the federation officials stepped forward, followed by a nude girl carrying a pillow. Sara bent forward slightly as the older man placed a ribbon with a bronze medallion attached around her neck. The ribbon ran down between Sara's bare breasts, and the medallion was set off nicely by Sara's tanned skin. We have a picture of that on the wall too.

Dawn also placed third in her final, but Geoff finished out of the medals. He took it well though. The age-group races started in late afternoon. Swimming a short race, my heat came up early. To my surprise, the stands were still full. Hearing your name announced and stepping forward to wave at the crown with nothing on, dick, balls, and but on full display, was an experience like no other; and one that I would not trade. I understood why Sara had been almost giddy after her first race. To my further surprise, I won my heat (apparently there aren't any good older male athletes interested in nude competitive swimming). My final came in the early evening. I was absolutely flummoxed to finish second.

I now had my nude turn on the medal podium. Since nothing else occurred during the medal ceremony, the three swimmers were the focus of all attention. Standing there, completely nude in front of about 5,000 clothed people was an exhilarating feeling. I was now very glad that Sara had forced me into this. To add to the pleasure, the mayor was back to award the medals to the male swimmers roughly her age. She once again demonstrated her solidarity with the naturists. Up close and from the front, she was a very beautiful lady. I admit that I tingled abit as she brushed my bare chest after putting my medal around my neck.

The first day ended with four medals between the four of Dawn, Geoff, Sara (2), and me. That was grounds for a decent dinner and a couple of drinks, even though we were all swimming the next day. After dinner, Sara and I moved our stuff (most of which had actually been left checked at our Paris hotel) in with Dawn and Geoff. Sara and I went back out to walk around some as Sara was still "up" and needed to burn off energy. We came back to the room about an hour later. Dawn and Geoff were atop one of the beds in vigorous missionary position coitus. Geoff looked at us as we walked in.

"Don't let us be the only perverts here. Get your kit off and get at it on your own bed." Sara kissed me, and we did.