LOL! I can't say I blame you, nandon. I was in my late 20's when I went to Indiana for the AC and had to shower with other women for the first time in my life. It was uncomfortable for me then. ESPECIALLY when I had to shave my legs! I think I only shaved them twice the whole two weeks!
OK an update: My 15 yr old daughter says she doesn't have to shower after gym class. Man, when I was in Jr high and high school there were about 40 boys in gym class and we all showered together at the same time. No big deal. Would someone tell why in the name of political correctness this isn't done anymore???????
"LOL! I can't say I blame you, nandon. I was in my late 20's when I went to Indiana for the AC and had to shower with other women for the first time in my life. It was uncomfortable for me then. ESPECIALLY when I had to shave my legs! I think I only shaved them twice the whole two weeks! "
You know that shaving only makes those hairs more rough when they do grow back.
You know at first I thougnght it was a little strange as a youngin'. Then I got used to it. That is untill puperty kicked in. :o--> A little auckward.
In Rome City after gym, all of us hicks would jump into the open shower in our birthday suits. Then we moved to the real world. I was the only one naked heading to the showers on the first day of class. Well, someone thought it would be funny to grab all my clothes and make fun of my nakedness. What can I say, I was a late bloomer. Seems I was the only one who didn't think it was hilarious. Even the geeks had a good laugh.
Well, I can look back on it now and chuckle, but it took me a while to get over that one. Oh well. :)-->
At ROA '94 a woman took her 8 yr old son into the girls' shower and his eyes got big fast. Later there was a sign saying no one over 5 yrs could go in the opposites' showers.
One time a friend of mine borrowed my towel and when she came back out, she returned the wrong friggin towel. I considered going back in there but Good Heavens but how can you, waiting in line forever, and then it would be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
The towel she left in there matched my other towels and now I had this mismatched one.
Wonder what happened to the poor person whose towel she took. And I wonder where my towel went.
Having showered with others of my gender in high school and college, I didn't feel uncomfortable in the ROA showers. The horrible part (in the early years) was the requirement to use the biodegradable "soap" that was supplied in order not to foul the septic system. It would not, I repeat, NOT, get one's hair clean. (There was a lot of smuggled shampoo, especially late in the week.) ;)--> Thank God for Ray D*ttm*n, who, during his time in the 13th Corps, re-designed the septic system to handle real soap!
Showering at the roa...ah yes, what fond memories. I recall my first rock in 1976...stepping under the shower at 5:30 am, only to discover that ALL the water was ice cold. At first it takes your breath away, and then the temperature of the water begins to freeze your skin and just before hypothermia sets in, you step out and begin to dry yourself faster than you ever did before. It woke me up better than coffee.
In 4th grade I got in a pretty raucous playground fight during a baseball game in my elementary school. I threw out a 6th grader from another school at the plate--he thought he had a homerun---I threw him out-- he wanted to even the score with fists and kicks, it turned into one of those kids full out brawls with one adult trying to separate about 25 boys...It was pretty messy--bloody noses and all that...I never saw the kid again..
until 20 years later in the showers at the ROA when we re met which I thought was pretty cool at the time...He's turned into a decent guy and our paths have crossed 3 or 4 times in the 20 years since then.
Thats about all that I remember about the showers--Ive blocked out the sulfur water, the long lines, the cold water and all that other stuff that I'd rather forget about anyway.
You had to be a master at organization to shower at ROA, in my opinion.
"Now, do I have my shampoo, my soap, my towel, my clean underware." Then you wait in line, until you get waved in by the Corps person who has the "Showers" job.
Then you find your place after laying down all your possessions in a spot you hope you can find later, surrounded by everyone else's stuff.
Take your sulfer shower, dry off and paw through your pile of stuff for your underware, get redressed, and make sure you're taking everything back with you. On your way back to your tent your feet immediately get covered with dust and/or mud.
After ROA, the showers would be FULL of stuff left behind. Shampoos, soap, towels, underware etc. I think I recall that it would all go into the lost and found and later to Acts Fifth Ave.
Thelema: Yeah! Then even when they put those stupid plastic things on the chain so you COULDN'T tie it off you could still hold it with one hand and wash/rinse yourself with the other hand. That's right up there with ripping off those old cigarette machines where you put money in for one pack but keep the knob pulled back then alternate between pulling the knob next to it back hard and back and forth and you ended up with ten or fifteen packs.
Call me a polyanna, but I was so glad to be able to shower...period. I didn't really care how long I had to stand in line, or how many nekkid bodies my eyes had to be assaulted with. :D-->
I got real dirty working at the rock, and it always felt really good to be able to get clean again. I really didn't mind having no place to put on my make-up, or plug my blow dryer or curling iron in, either. :)-->
Sometimes the water was soo hot! It wasn't bad for me, but I only took my little ones there once--it hurt them, and I was afraid of scalding! So we washed them with baby wipes the rest of the time.
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Belle
LOL! I can't say I blame you, nandon. I was in my late 20's when I went to Indiana for the AC and had to shower with other women for the first time in my life. It was uncomfortable for me then. ESPECIALLY when I had to shave my legs!
I think I only shaved them twice the whole two weeks! 
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Bob
I was uncomfortable shaving my legs in there too...
Just kidding.....
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johniam
Didn't you guys ever shower after gym class?
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johniam
OK an update: My 15 yr old daughter says she doesn't have to shower after gym class. Man, when I was in Jr high and high school there were about 40 boys in gym class and we all showered together at the same time. No big deal. Would someone tell why in the name of political correctness this isn't done anymore???????
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Galen
Belle:
"LOL! I can't say I blame you, nandon. I was in my late 20's when I went to Indiana for the AC and had to shower with other women for the first time in my life. It was uncomfortable for me then. ESPECIALLY when I had to shave my legs!
I think I only shaved them twice the whole two weeks! 
"
You know that shaving only makes those hairs more rough when they do grow back.
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lindyhopper
You know at first I thougnght it was a little strange as a youngin'. Then I got used to it. That is untill puperty kicked in.
:o--> A little auckward.
In Rome City after gym, all of us hicks would jump into the open shower in our birthday suits. Then we moved to the real world. I was the only one naked heading to the showers on the first day of class. Well, someone thought it would be funny to grab all my clothes and make fun of my nakedness. What can I say, I was a late bloomer. Seems I was the only one who didn't think it was hilarious. Even the geeks had a good laugh.
Well, I can look back on it now and chuckle, but it took me a while to get over that one. Oh well.
:)-->
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Oakspear
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outandabout
The sulfer water. I forgot about that. Oooh I can almost smell it now.
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socks
I guess this is one of the advantages of being near sighted.
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tomtuttle
Yeah, I also (bullinger) hated those shower tents. Everyone one staring at me saying "Why, look at hows God has BLESSED YOU!!!
No wonder I was not at the top of the corps when it came to the 12-minute test ...
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johniam
At ROA '94 a woman took her 8 yr old son into the girls' shower and his eyes got big fast. Later there was a sign saying no one over 5 yrs could go in the opposites' showers.
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Bob
I thought they were a bit more hairy than normal. HA!
:D--> 
:D--> 
:D-->
I don't want to know how you tricked me into thinking I was shaving my own legs.
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outandabout
One time a friend of mine borrowed my towel and when she came back out, she returned the wrong friggin towel. I considered going back in there but Good Heavens but how can you, waiting in line forever, and then it would be like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack.
The towel she left in there matched my other towels and now I had this mismatched one.
Wonder what happened to the poor person whose towel she took. And I wonder where my towel went.
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GeorgeStGeorge
Having showered with others of my gender in high school and college, I didn't feel uncomfortable in the ROA showers. The horrible part (in the early years) was the requirement to use the biodegradable "soap" that was supplied in order not to foul the septic system. It would not, I repeat, NOT, get one's hair clean. (There was a lot of smuggled shampoo, especially late in the week.)
;)--> Thank God for Ray D*ttm*n, who, during his time in the 13th Corps, re-designed the septic system to handle real soap!
George
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outintexas
O&O, you crack me up. I don't think I have a single towel that matches another one. That takes care of that problem.
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Galen
Most of my towels were originally from these bolts of white terry cloth. So they are all white and easier to bleach.
It is hard to find mis-matched ones.
:-)
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GrouchoMarxJr
Showering at the roa...ah yes, what fond memories. I recall my first rock in 1976...stepping under the shower at 5:30 am, only to discover that ALL the water was ice cold. At first it takes your breath away, and then the temperature of the water begins to freeze your skin and just before hypothermia sets in, you step out and begin to dry yourself faster than you ever did before. It woke me up better than coffee.
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Pirate1974
The fastest shower I've ever taken in my life was at the Sidney fairgrounds in 1973. Couldn't have been more than 20 seconds.
Yuck.
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mstar1
In 4th grade I got in a pretty raucous playground fight during a baseball game in my elementary school. I threw out a 6th grader from another school at the plate--he thought he had a homerun---I threw him out-- he wanted to even the score with fists and kicks, it turned into one of those kids full out brawls with one adult trying to separate about 25 boys...It was pretty messy--bloody noses and all that...I never saw the kid again..
until 20 years later in the showers at the ROA when we re met which I thought was pretty cool at the time...He's turned into a decent guy and our paths have crossed 3 or 4 times in the 20 years since then.
Thats about all that I remember about the showers--Ive blocked out the sulfur water, the long lines, the cold water and all that other stuff that I'd rather forget about anyway.
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outandabout
You had to be a master at organization to shower at ROA, in my opinion.
"Now, do I have my shampoo, my soap, my towel, my clean underware." Then you wait in line, until you get waved in by the Corps person who has the "Showers" job.
Then you find your place after laying down all your possessions in a spot you hope you can find later, surrounded by everyone else's stuff.
Take your sulfer shower, dry off and paw through your pile of stuff for your underware, get redressed, and make sure you're taking everything back with you. On your way back to your tent your feet immediately get covered with dust and/or mud.
After ROA, the showers would be FULL of stuff left behind. Shampoos, soap, towels, underware etc. I think I recall that it would all go into the lost and found and later to Acts Fifth Ave.
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Thelema
did anyone master the art of tying the metal chain just so, so there would be CONTINUOUS hot water?? it was so bad, but felt so good!!
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johniam
Thelema: Yeah! Then even when they put those stupid plastic things on the chain so you COULDN'T tie it off you could still hold it with one hand and wash/rinse yourself with the other hand. That's right up there with ripping off those old cigarette machines where you put money in for one pack but keep the knob pulled back then alternate between pulling the knob next to it back hard and back and forth and you ended up with ten or fifteen packs.
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ex10
Call me a polyanna, but I was so glad to be able to shower...period. I didn't really care how long I had to stand in line, or how many nekkid bodies my eyes had to be assaulted with.
:D-->
I got real dirty working at the rock, and it always felt really good to be able to get clean again. I really didn't mind having no place to put on my make-up, or plug my blow dryer or curling iron in, either.
:)-->
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Bramble
Sometimes the water was soo hot! It wasn't bad for me, but I only took my little ones there once--it hurt them, and I was afraid of scalding! So we washed them with baby wipes the rest of the time.
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