Streaking

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Streaking is the non-sexual act of taking off one's clothes and running naked through a public place.

Contents

[edit] Definitions and etymology

The word is recorded in its modern sense only since 1973. Before, to streak in English since 1768 meant "to go quickly, to rush, to run at full speed," and was a respelling of streek: "to go quickly" (c.1380); this in turn was originally a northern Middle English variant of stretch (c.1250).

Streaking is distinct from naturism or nudism in that streakers usually intend to be noticed and may choose a place with a large audience for their act, regardless of the risk of arrest (sometimes even intending to be remanded into police custody) whereas naturists and nudist generally prefer to be left in peace. It is also distinct from flashing in that the intent is generally not to shock or traumatize a victim.

Streakers may streak only once or a few times, possibly as a result of a dare, or may streak so often it can be considered a hobby.

The most public form of streaking is running naked before huge crowds at sporting events. However, many streakers seek quieter venues, such as a neighborhood at night after most people have gone to bed. Some have even found it especially satisfying to streak on rural highways in the very early hours of the morning, when there are not many commuters on the road. A number of streakers do not intend to expose themselves to others, but find it thrilling to do it in places that often have people present, but do not at the time of their streak. Streaking may be an individual or a group activity. It is not uncommon for videos of some of the more daring streaks to find popularity on the internet.

Streakers from all over the world can chat on Streaking.org, a streaking forum, where they can share stories and hook up with each other to do streaks. [1]

[edit] Streaking on college campuses

The first recorded incident of streaking by a college student in the United States occurred in 1804 at then Washington College (now Washington and Lee University) when senior George William Crump was arrested for running nude through Lexington, Virginia, where the university is located. Crump was suspended for the academic session, and would later go on to become a U.S. Congressman and Ambassador to Chile.

Time magazine in December 1973 called streaking "a growing Los Angeles-area fad" that was "catching on among college students and other groups." A letter writer responded, "Let it be known that streakers have plagued the campus police at Notre Dame for the past decade," pointing out that a group of Notre Dame students sponsored a "Streakers' Olympics" in 1972.

The record for the most streakers at one time is held by the University of Georgia with 1,549 simultaneous streakers on March 7, 1974. University of Colorado at Boulder comes in second with 1,200 streakers, and the University of Maryland ranking third at 553 naked students streaking three miles in March 1974. The previous record was held by the University of South Carolina with 508 streakers. Erskine College claimed the highest "per-capita streak" when 25% of its 600 students participated in a streaking party in 1974.

The last night before final exams at Harvard University sees undergraduates participating in Primal Scream. Students disrobe and make two laps around Harvard Yard. This is done both semesters, even during New England winters. Some of the streakers will 'dress up' in capes and masks, or top hat and tails, but their genitalia are still exposed. The walkways through which the streakers run are lined with spectators and the Marching Band plays beforehand to excite the crowd.

Princeton University has had a long tradition of streaking. The first streaking incident in 1970 was meant as a one-time prank, but in time streaking became a tradition of the sophomore class, and rules were drafted for the event. The tradition declined in the 1990s and the administration chose not to tolerate the event anymore; the Board of Trustees voted to ban the practice in 1999 because it was becoming dangerous and attracting too many outsiders.

Streaking became an annual campus tradition at The University of Chicago in 1983 during their Kuviasungnerk winter festival to help students kick the winter blues. There are oftentimes more spectators than actual participants. In winter quarter, on the Sunday night before finals week, The University of Chicago cross-country team streaks through the campus's main library at 10:00 PM. This creates a stir among students, as a large portion of the population is in the library at the time.

In 1986, the University of Michigan's "Naked Mile" celebrated the last day of class with a group streak across campus along an approximate one-mile path. At the height of its popularity in the late 1990s, between 500 and 800 students would participate. However, due to recent enforcement of public indecency laws and increasing spectator crowds and videotaping, participation has declined, and in 2001 a mere 24 students participated [2].

The University of California, Santa Cruz has an annual fall tradition known as First Rain, where students in Porter College run naked through campus during the first rainfall of the fall season, usually in October.

Dartmouth College has two streaking-related challenges: The Ledyard Challenge, in which students swim naked across the Connecticut River and run nude back across the bridge[3] and the Blue Light Challenge, in which streaking students attempt to press the alarm on every one of the campus's blue light emergency phones. [4] Currently, a "Thursday Night Streaking Club" exists that regularly streaks various events and public places.[5]

At the University of Virginia, tradition holds that prior to graduating, students must run naked from the steps of the Rotunda and down the 740 foot Lawn to kiss the buttocks of a statue of Homer before running back up the Lawn to the peer through the keyhole of the Rotunda, which affords a view of the marble statue of the school's founder, Thomas Jefferson, before they retrieve their clothes. In 1995, a "mass streak" was organized to protest a police crackdown on the practice.

At the University of the Philippines, members of Alpha Phi Omega fraternity ran around the whole campus naked in an annual event known as the Oblation Run. (refer to U.P. Oblation)

Hamilton College of New York has a Varsity Streaking Team which, until recently, boasted an undefeated record. The team received positive coverage in the New York Times in 2004 after streaking twelve private colleges in the New England region. Other victories include Colgate University and Princeton University, the latter sparked by a challenge from that school's now-defunct streaking squad. The Williams College "Springstreakers" defeated Hamilton in spring 2005: fifteen members of the Williams team made a full circuit of the Hamilton library the night before their final exams began, streaking about 200 people and giving the Hamilton team their first loss.

The men's and women's rugby teams at Swarthmore College engage in a streaking fundraiser each semester known as the "Dash for Cash", in which the team members run naked through Parrish Hall, the main administration building. Spectators are expected to bring money, which the streakers grab from their hands as they run by. The activity has been known to catch bystanders unawares, despite heavy publicity featuring the slogan "Bring money, or you're a pervert."

Monash University's Clayton Campus is well known for streaking during Green Week, a week of drinking competitions. In 2004 members of Team 9 and the Beer Pirates performed the "Nudamid", a nude pyramid with the top person then attempting a beer bong, the pyramid collapsed shortly afterwards. This occurred in front of a large crowd after the rogaining final.

Greek students at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, have been said to streak from all male Fraternity houses to the all female Sorority Houses, specifically to the Chi-Omega Sorority.

[edit] Streaking in Sports

[edit] Rugby Union

Twenty-five-year-old Australian Michael O'Brien was the first known streaker at a major event when on 20 April 1974, he ran out naked onto the ground of a France Rugby Union match at Twickenham. Erica Roe, a bookshop assistant, also streaked during a rugby union Test at Twickenham in 1982. Recently in New Zealand there have been incidents of streaking at rugby union matches. During the first test between the All Blacks and Ireland in 2006 a woman named Lisa Lewis streaked across Waikato Stadium and proceeded after the match to sell the bikini she wore on the auction site TradeMe.

[edit] Cricket

In the sport of cricket it is not uncommon for a streaker to run out to the field purely for shock and entertainment value, or occasionally for political purposes. The most recent streaking was in the first test of the Australia versus I.C.C. World XI, when a rather drunken man darted out toward the field naked, shocking the Australian and World XI players, causing play to stop. He was spear tackled to the ground by field personnel after trying to evade their trap and was apprehended. This is the usual method to capture unruly streakers at sporting events. In one notable incident, Australian test cricketer Greg Chappell "paddled" an invading streaker with his cricket bat.

[edit] Australian rules football

Streaking became popular at Australian rules football matches in the 1980s, particularly Victorian Football League Grand Finals, with a trend started by Adelaide stripper Helen D'Amico in the 1982 Grand Final between Carlton and Richmond, wearing only a Carlton scarf [6].

[edit] Association Football

In 2005 German football club FC Hansa Rostock successfully sued three streakers who disrupted their 2003 match against Hertha Berlin, to recoup the €20,000 they were fined by the German Football Association for failing to maintain adequate security at their ground.

[edit] Olympic Games

In the 2006 Winter Olympics streaker Mark Roberts interrupted the men's bronze medal curling match between the US team and the UK team, wearing nothing but a strategically placed rubber chicken. He was intending to advertise a well known gambling website, which was written across his back and breast, but in the United States cameras cut away before viewers could see him. A Polish female streaker showed up at the closing ceremony, but was not on the telecast either.

[edit] Tennis

In 2006 a quarter-final match between Elena Dementieva and Maria Sharapova at Wimbledon was interrupted by a male streaker, who was escorted off court by police.

[edit] Streaking in Pop Culture

Ray Stevens wrote "The Streak", a novelty hit about the guy who's "always making the news wearing just his tennis shoes". The song peaked at #1 on the sales charts in April 1974. The fad soon became a symbol of the decade. In response to streaking, some jurisdictions would charge streakers with indecent exposure, but one Maine town voted to pass a law specifically targeted at streaking.

Perhaps the most widely-seen streaker in history was 34-year-old Robert Opel, who streaked across the stage flashing the peace sign on national US television at the 46th Academy Awards in 1974. Recovering quickly, host David Niven quipped, "Isn't it fascinating to think that probably the only laugh that man will ever get in his life is by stripping off and showing his shortcomings?" Later, some evidence arose suggesting that Opel's appearance was facilitated as a stunt by the show's producer Jack Haley, Jr. Niven's brush with the streaker was voted the top Oscars "moment" by film fans in 2001.

Three's Company had an episode in which Larry (Richard Klein) streaked at a party in Jack's apartment.

Joey on Full House recalled streaking on the field at one of his high school's football games while wearing a Richard Nixon mask.

The band blink-182, in their 1999 music video for "What's My Age Again?", run across the pavement with their pubic region and buttocks digitally blurred out (they actually wore flesh-colored swimsuits during the filming).

In response to the resurgence of streaking starting in the 1990s, Blink-182, performance artist John Hassel (popularly known as Bunboy) and others argue that streaking should be considered an art form in and of itself.

In 2003, streaking came to the forefront in New Zealand when television presenter Mark Ellis offered a monetary reward for anyone who streaked in front of Prime Minister Helen Clark. This was part of Ellis' National Nude Day. A TV program he presented, Hyundai Sports Cafe, regularly promoted nudity and asked for people to send in nude exploits, including a The Lord of the Rings parody by nude actors, and 30 naked ballet dancers (both male and female) performing in front of the Otago University main building.

In 2004, a Nike commercial for their "Shox" shoes centered around someone streaking at a soccer match wearing nothing but said shoes.

An episode of the sitcom That '70s Show had the main character, Eric Forman, streaking while the President of the United States was speaking to his town.

During the movie Old School, Will Ferrell gets drunk and tries to get everybody at a party to streak, but it backfires and Ferrell ends up being the only person to do so.

In The Simpsons, Barney Gumble streaked across his high school prom.

During the second episode of the 2001 animated comedy Undergrads, the main character Nitz grapples with the tradition of the "Exposed Expo" at his college, State U. After the first snowfall at his college, it is tradition for the freshmen to run around the campus in the nude.

[edit] List of people who have been known to streak

Tracy Seargent streaking the Indoor Bowls Championship Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk, January 2000.
Tracy Seargent streaking the Indoor Bowls Championship Hopton-on-Sea, Norfolk, January 2000.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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