In Indiana, the nudists have a moment

Sure, Indiana is the second most naked state in the union, but the nudists here usually keep a low profile. However, for the next two weekends they’ll step into the limelight.

On Saturday afternoon, about 100 people will simultaneously jump into the swimming pool at Fern Hills Club, a nudist camp outside Bloomington, as part of a national group’s attempt to break the Guinness record for skinny dipping. The same group, the American Association of Nude Recreation, which is sanctioning simultaneous skinny dips across the nation, set the record in 2008 with 13,674 skinny dippers.

It’s a publicity stunt to draw attention to the more nonsexual, naturist variety of nudism. (Skinny dipping, says an AANR news release, is “a wholesome tradition as old as mankind and frequently honored in art and cinema, celebrates the natural joy of plunging into water without hindrance of clothing, or sitting in soggy suits after.”)

The following weekend, July 18 and 19, the Ponderosa Sun Club outside Roselawn celebrates its 40th annual “Nudes-a-Poppin.” That event celebrates the sexed-up bacchanalian side of nudism. Among this year’s events: a Miss Nude Erotic Pole Performer competition and an appearance by porn star Ron Jeremy.

Indiana has six nudist camps that are members of the AANR. They are the more wholesome clubs (the Ponderosa is not part of the AANR). AANR clubs, like Fern Hills, look like typical campgrounds with swimming pools, volleyball and shuffleboard courts, RV hookups and so on. But the campers aren’t wearing clothes.

Volleyball has long been associated with nudism, and it continues to be a popular past time at nudist resorts, said Jawn Bauer, a Bloomington attorney and one of the 300 members of Fern Hills Club. Pickleball, a new game that’s sort of a miniature version of tennis, is catching on among nudists (as it is among other people).

Four states have more AANR clubs than Indiana, but those states have far larger populations. For example, California has 19 AANR clubs, but its population is 38 million. Indiana’s population is 7 million.

So, per capita, Indiana could be said to be nuder than California - and than every other state except Florida.

Florida is the nudest state with 29 AANR clubs and 19 million people.

The time I competed naked

Many nudists like to compete in sports.

“Volleyball is still huge,” said Bauer, who in the 1970s was a member of Indiana University’s track team, “and it’s heavily competitive. I’ve been in tournaments when college players came in, and those people are serious.”

It’s hard to believe it’s possible for one to play sports seriously, competitively — to really care deeply about winning — while one is naked. But it is possible. The early Olympians were naked, and surely they cared deeply.

Several years ago I played in a miniten tournament at Sunny Haven Recreation Park outside Granger. It was for a story I was writing. My opponents, experienced nudists, referred to me as a "cotton tail." Miniten is like tennis only the court is smaller and players use paddles instead of racquets. Miniten was popular among nudists in the 1990s though today is giving way to pickleball, which is similar.

I remember clearly a crucial juncture during one of my matches. I trailed 3-4, ad out. I stepped up to the baseline to serve. Spin it out wide to his backhand, I said to myself. I was deadly serious, was totally focused on victory — even though I of course was ridiculous in my tennis shoes and socks and nothing else.

What happened after that (if you care, which would be even weirder than me caring at the time): I hit a spin serve out wide to the dude’s backhand, won the point, won the game, won the match. And afterward felt fantastic. Winning is excellent even naked.

Contact Star reporter Will Higgins at (317) 444-6043. Follow him on Twitter @WillRHiggins.

Top five U.S. states ranked by number of AANR clubs

Florida: 29

California: 19

Texas: 18

New York: 7

Indiana: 6

Total AANR clubs: 250

Source: AANR

Indiana’s AANR clubs

Sunny Haven Recreation Park, Granger, (574) 277-5356

Lake O’ the Woods Club, Valparaiso, (219) 477-6643

Indiana Naturists, Fort Wayne, (260) 312-9872

Fern Hills Club, Bloomington, (812) 824-4489

Sunshower Country Club, Centerville, (765) 855-2785

Drakes Ridge Rustic Nudist Retreat, Bennington, (812) 427-3914