Hamilton polar bears frozen out of annual New Year's lake dip

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Posted with permission from the Hamilton Spectator.

Hamilton Spectator
By Matthew Van Dongen


Liability chill has ended Hamilton's coolest New Year's tradition.

No polar bear dip will be held Jan. 1 behind Hutch's on the Beach in Confederation Park — or no sanctioned event, anyway.

If you're still determined to jump into Lake Ontario on the beach strip Thursday, you'll brave the cold water and wind chill without rescue workers or post-dip Hutch's hot chocolate.

"There will be diehards out on their own, I'm sure. But as a club, we're pretty much done with it," said Howard Bentley, past-president of the East Hamilton Optimist Club, which lent volunteers to the food bank fundraiser.

"The sad fact is, the liability factor nowadays just scares everyone off. If something bad happens, you risk having your butt hauled into court and suddenly they're suing the bejesus out of you."

Shivering local residents have given a wet welcome to the new year along the beach strip for more than half a century, with or without a formal invitation.

But dangerous ice formations forced the cancellation of the formal New Year's Day dip in 2014 for the first time in a decade.

That episode convinced Hutch's on the Beach to bow out for good, said assistant manager Shelley Anderson, who added the popular restaurant won't even open Thursday in the hopes of discouraging would-be dippers.

"We had been toying with the idea for a few years. It (the event) was getting bigger and we were worried," said Anderson, who added the prospect of trying to get specific insurance for the event was also daunting.

Just a few years ago, two competing fundraising dips vied for prime splash time behind Hutch's, attracting more than 100 prospective polar bears.

Bentley said event volunteers and the restaurant co-ordinated with the Hamilton Beach Rescue Unit to patrol the dips. The club also handed out waiver forms at one point.

"We tried to remind people they were participating at their own risk," he said. "But eventually the general consensus seemed to be that wasn't enough."

Hardy law enforcement folk managed an early lake dip at a different beach location Dec. 10 in support of the Special Olympics Ontario.

But Hamiltonians who still crave a numbing New Year's experience can try the highly organized Courage Polar Bear Dip in Oakville, billed as the largest such event in Canada.

Last year the World Vision-supporting event forged ahead at Coronation Park despite a cold-weather warning and unprecedented shoreline ice buildup. Registration is $25; arrive by 1 p.m. For more information, visit polarbeardip.ca.

You could also head in the other direction down the QEW and try the annual dip at Grimsby Beach at the end of Bal Harbour Road. Registration starts at 1:30 p.m. and the event accepts donations for McNally House Hospice.



mvandongen@thespec.com

905-526-3241 | [MENTION=650]matt[/MENTION]atthespec
 
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