• Colorado
• California
• Wisconsin
• Freezing For Charity (Special Olympics)
• Kentucky
• Wetsuits
• New York
• The original "Polar Bear"
• Jack LaLanne
• The "Cold Water Cure"
• New York Characters

Cool Clubs

There are a handful of little moments that are pretty much universally disliked. We all loathe the sudden realization that the milk in our coffee is spoiled; few people savor hearing the words "I have some bad news"; and the second when a hot shower suddenly turns ice cold? Hardly anyone would say that's the highlight of their day.

For "Polar Bear" club members, it's never too cold to go for a swim.

Unless, however, they happen to be a member of one of the country's several dozen cold-water swimming clubs. These cold-craving waders call themselves "Polar Bears," and all winter long they can be found diving into freezing waters from Colorado to California, Wisconsin and Rhode Island.

Some "Polar Bear" swims are organized to raise money, often for the Special Olympics-last year in Kentucky, more than 1,000 people raised $300,000 by jumping into either the Ohio River or frigid pools during one-day events held around the state.

Other swims are set up for people who are diving in purely for the thrill of the chill. Itching to try it but can't quite take the plunge? You can always ease into it by wearing a wetsuit the first few times.

To find people doing the crawl in 35-degree every winter weekend the place to go is Brooklyn, NY-home of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, the country's oldest organization of its kind. The club was founded in 1903 by Bernarr Macfadden, who is known as the Jack LaLanne of his day.

A bodybuilder, Macfadden was a firm believer in the 19th-century theories regarding the restorative benefits of cold water. "He believed that long distance running, cold-water swimming and carrots were the key to good health," explains the Coney Island Polar Bear Club's president, Louis Scarcella. (The club's presidents have a reputation for being colorful local personalities-former president Ken Krisses was even featured in a 2001 book appropriately titled "New York Characters").

Scarcella says he checks the water temperature every day and swims in the ocean at least three days a week all winter. Why? "Because I believe that cold water strengthens the immune system. But the main reason I do it is because it's a celebration of life!" he says. "When you hit that water, more than any other moment, you know you're alive."

Posted on January 16, 2006