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Plunging into the New Year! EverythingWestport.com Friday, January 1, 2010 View the photo album of both events now 65 photos | Dial-up speed | Broadband/DSL speed |
And
who can blame them. This popular southcoast eatery has been serving town
residents and summer vacationers some of the best fare the coastal villages
of Massachusetts can muster. The
Back Eddy’s Sal Liotta (left) leaned back and smiled at the pandemonium surrounding
his dock outside his restaurant. “This
is our 11th year and they keep coming back,” he said as Ken Sullivan of
Westport executed a perfect swan dive into the 41 degree Westport Harbor. It
must be something in the water, Sal. “It
wasn’t as bad as in previous years,” said L-Street Brownie and perennial
jumper John Bergman at this year’s Back Eddy’s Polar Bear Plunge. “The water
is 3 degrees warmer than the last time I jumped here (2008).” Bergman, a Polar
Bear for decades, took the plunge in Westport Harbor because, “it is just too
long of a drive to Boston.” Plunger of the
Year.
Ken Sullivan of Westport shows great poise and form,
and gets EverythingWestport’s award for Best Plunge by a Polar Bear award. It
gets better and better each year. People
come from all over the area to participate in this popular annual event. The
Coney Island Polar Bears of New York are reputed to be the oldest
cold-weather swimming club in America, dating to before the turn of the 20th
century. The L Street Brownies (Boston) were officially organized in 1902 and
took their first recorded swim in 1904. The Westport Yacht Club organized
their Penguin Plunge and had their first swim in 1975, according to Jonathon
Paull, event organizer (see story below). The
11th annual Polar Bear Plunge didn’t break 2008’s record of 134, but “it was
a pretty good turnout” according to Liotta. “That year the air temperature
was in the low 40s; it’s 30 today.” 2009’s jump was cancelled due to
dangerous icy floe conditions around the docks.
From the left: (1) Grandparents Phil and June Hebert
provide sideline support for grandkids Kelly and Coulton Carmichael of
Westport; (2) Kelly and Coulton take the plunge; (3) longtime jumper John
Bergman shows how it’s done; and (4) these two unidentified ladies know how
to start their new year! Overcast
skies cast a gray pallor over the day, but it didn’t dampen the polar bears’ determination
to plunge into the new year. In
order to qualify for a free meal coupon, the participants had to wear regular
swim wear; no wet suits. “Each polar bear signed a release. After all, it’s
not your normal exercise. You must go in over your head,” Liotta said.
“Otherwise no coupon!” Some
didn’t realize the full weight of their decision to take the plunge. Others
just took it in stride. Form was a factor as each jumper had their own
technique and style, and inventive leaps were cheered by the bundled-up spectators.
One jumper actually looked like he was skipping over the icy water to avoid
getting wet (see picture below.) Anatomy of a
plunge.
From top, left: (1)
steeling the nerves; (2) second thoughts), (3) going for it; (4) no turning back;
(5) realization settles in; (6) shock settles in; and (7) going for the
towel!
Walking on the waters
at the Back Eddy Polar Bear Plunge. Westport Penguin Plunge draws a rookery of swimmers. EverythingWestport.com Friday, January 1, 2010 View the photo album of both events now 65 photos | Dial-up speed | Broadband/DSL speed |
“We
always do well in attracting a crowd,” Paull said. Since
1975 the Westport Penguin Plunge has sponsored a New Year’s Day swimming
event in Westport Harbor. The noon-time ‘run and splash’ was at the town
beach, next door to the Westport Yacht Club, on the river side of Cherry and
Webb Lane. Starter
Jonathon Paull (below right) heralded the start of a wave of brave swimmers
with a mighty blast of his hunter’s horn. The young and not so young hit the
water running and took a dip in Westport Harbor. Originally
organized by Jonathon Paull, Fred Johnson, and Jack Dolan in 1975, the New
Year’s Day activity event has been an annual event ever since. This year’s
plunge is raising money for the Hole in the Wall Gang and the Amanda Tripp
Memorial Scholarship Fund.
From the left: (1)
Charlie Ponte of Westport dumps a bucket of water over his head in defiance
of King Neptune’s icy grip; (2) Renee
Jones of Tiverton, always one of the first to reach the water, performs
calisthenics to get warm after her dip; (3) Jenn Hilton (right) and Stephanie
Jones of Tiverton pose in fine Sports Illustrated style for the cameras; and
(4) Jonathon Paull blows his hunter’s horn to launch a wave of swimmers into
the Westport harbor.
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