Last year, a record number of cold-water swimmers plunged into English Bay for the 91st Polar Bear swim. Those 2,246 revellers broke a record dating to 2000 when 2,128 rang in the New Year with a wet, wintry splash.
Will you join us Jan. 1, 2012? Ill see you Sunday at English Bay, donning my winter swimwear, belly full of confidence (not just the liquid kind) and a list of resolutions for the coming year.
Ten people went chilly dipping in 1920 with the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club and launched the New Year tradition. Organized by Peter Pantages, the swimmers housed themselves in the basement of the Sylvia Hotel before and after taking the plunge. They eventually moved to the Vancouver Swimming Club to the west of the English Bay pier as interest and participation grew.
The earliest swimmers dove in for a 300-metre lap around the pier. Today, more competitive racers vie for a memorial trophy in a 100-yard race contest established in 1972, following Pantages death after more than 50 years as the president of the Polar Bear Club. His great niece, Lisa, is now president and a regular swimmer.
Tony Pantages, Peters great-nephew, paid homage to his family with a 10-second video installment Polar Bear: Native to Vancouver. See it online at youtube.com/offonmain.
The Vancouver Park Board in cooperation with the Polar Bear Swim Committee now oversees the Polar Bear Swim.
Registration for the 2012 Polar Bear Swim begins at 12:30 p.m. at the bathhouse near English Bay. Registration is free and includes membership in the Polar Bear Club, as well as a commemorative button.
The swim starts at 2:30 p.m. The first three swimmers to reach the marker buoy in the 100-yard race receive a trophy.
Swimmers are encouraged to bring a towel and a change of clothes. Children must be accompanied by an adult and dog owners are asked to leave their pets at home.
The Greater Vancouver Food Bank will be accepting non-perishable food and cash donations.
Happy New Year. See you at the beach!
Twitter: @MHStewart
