Polar bear swimmers relish the icy rush

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#1
Jan. 3, 12:51 EDT
Polar bear swimmers relish the icy rush
Dave Kewley
The Hamilton Spectator


A top hat and a thong was all one senior participant claimed he needed to keep warm during the annual polar bear swim at a frosty Van Wagner's Beach on Saturday.

Paul Nurmi, 62, was fully dressed as he lurked among the bystanders awaiting the call to line up along the water's edge from volunteer organizers from the Hamilton East Optimist Club. Then he stripped down to the bare essentials and started posing for photos. "Oh, my God," muttered one flustered participant as she hurried by, shielding her eyes. "There are kids here today."

It didn't faze Nurmi. "This is my fourth year here and it's fun," he said. John Rankin, 46, was a first timer and admitted he was a little nervous. He said he agreed to do the swim if employees at his security company, Group 4 Falc, raised $2,000 for McMaster Children's Hospital.

"Well, they raised more than enough and here I am but I must be crazy, I could die out here."

But there appeared to be no ill effects after 75 brave souls raced into the frigid waves.

"We just came back from Daytona Beach, Florida, but really it wasn't that bad this year," said Chris Myers, who made his 14th consecutive polar bear dip.

Lynn Farquhar was a New Year's baby 47 years ago and says for the past eight years she has enjoyed celebrating her birthday with an icy plunge.

"It's a shock at first, but then there's this rush of exhilaration after you come out and it lasts all day long. That's one of the reasons why I do this," she said.

Optimist Ray Barr says the Hamilton swim is a tradition that can be traced back to a few years after the Second World War. There is no admission fee and the only fundraising is the sale of 50/50 tickets.

However, at another polar bear event in Port Dover, organizers raised $2,400 for tsunami relief, which will be matched by the federal government, for a total donation of $4,800.

Polar bear club president, Chris Swarts, says the Port Dover swim is one of the most treacherous in southern Ontario. "We had to go down to the beach early in the morning to cut an opening in a big shelf of ice that lines the shore. We had about 100 participants, but they could go in only a few at a time because of the limited opening and the fact they had to climb up a ladder to get out.

"But they really had to keep an eye out for little icebergs, when they jumped in."

dkewley@thespec.com 905-526-3474

Photo-
Kaz Novak, the Hamilton Spectator
About 75 swimmers risked exposure to frigid Lake Ontario on Saturday in the traditional plunge at Van Wagner's Beach.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#3
TC said:
Did you participate Scotto? Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :laugh3:
I don't think so, I would have to drink a lot of beer before I did that.

The same page in the Spec had the best costume from the Oakville Polar Bear dip.
These guys were dress up as a six pack, I wonder how many beers they went though??? :D

Picture by Gary Yokoyama of the Spectator
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#5
eeoj said:
I did a polar bear dip several years ago (20 to be exact) in the Atlantic. It was invigorating to say the least. I highly recommned it to anyone!!
Elise
No thanks, I will just watch and stay warm. :p
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#7
Rae said:
I do not think that the dip was anything special. I do it daily but the water here is getting a might cool. Temp down to 76 F. at Key West.

Rae Baker Of Burlington/Key West.
The lake gets that warm in the summer. :D
 
Dec 1, 2004
153
1
18
86
Longueuil, Quebec
#8
:laugh3: I don't remember the lake ever getting to 76 degrees in any summer that I swam there. Usually, it hovered between 50 and 60 except when an east wind blew for a long period. Swimming in the lake was like training for swimming in the Bay of Fundy.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#9
Crawfish said:
:laugh3: I don't remember the lake ever getting to 76 degrees in any summer that I swam there. Usually, it hovered between 50 and 60 except when an east wind blew for a long period. Swimming in the lake was like training for swimming in the Bay of Fundy.
The lake would warm up by late August and yes, only with a good east wind, but you couldn't really swim in it as the waves would be too big. If the wind was out of the west, the lake always seemed cold. :D
 
Top Bottom