01 January 2009

Starting the New Year off with a (frigid) Splash

It's New Year's Day and in Vancouver, like many places in Canada, we start the new year of with a splash. This year a very cold splash. "The Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club is one of the largest and oldest Polar Bear Clubs in the world. Its initial swim was in 1920 when a small number of hardy swimmers took the plunge into English Bay on New Year's Day. Led by their founder, Peter Pantages, the swim has grown from around 10 swimmers in that year to the record number of 2,128 official entries in 2000" (Vancouver Park Board)

I was one of a total of 1,557 people who took the plunge this year including Vancouver Burrard MLA, Spencer Herbert and fellow Park Board Commissioner Constance Barnes. It was certainly a refreshing way to start the year!

No comments:

Post a Comment