COURIER LIFE, DEC. 3–9, 2021 29
OUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BOROUGH OF KINGS
BY JESSICA PARKS
It’s a beloved (and daring) holiday
tradition!
Frigid swimmers will head to the
shores of Coney Island Beach on Jan.
1 to celebrate the new year, as the beloved
Polar Bear Plunge returns after
a COVID-related cancelation last year.
“It’s a fantastic way to start the new
year, a plunge in the cold ocean will
really leave everything behind that
you want to leave behind,” said Dennis
Thomas, president of the Coney Island
Polar Bear Club, “and I know a lot of
people want to get past this year.”
The 2022 Coney Island Polar Bear
Plunge— the 119th edition of the fundraiser
— will go on similarly as it did
in 2019, after going virtual due to the
pandemic last year with the club’s
president expecting approximately
3,000 participants, 10,000 spectators
with a goal of $80,000 in donations.
“We’re really excited to be able to
host this annual New York tradition
one more time,” Thomas told Brooklyn
Paper. “Everyone missed it last year
we were so sad but the conditions just
weren’t right but things are all looking
good for January 1.”
“There is no better way to separate
the past from the future than a
brisk plunge in the frigid Atlantic
with fellow New Yorkers. We look forward
to hosting the largest, most spirited
plunge in our 119-year history,”
Thomas said.
Started in 1903, the Coney Island
Polar Bear Club — which boasts the
distinction as the longest-running
winter bathing club in the country—
swims each Sunday between November
and April, with members taking in
the wintery waters.
Still, the New Years Day Polar Bear
Plunge remains the club’s most highlyattended
event every year. The event
has grown to double as a fundraiser,
with attendees contributing to local
nonprofi ts and a variety of the club’s
initiatives throughout the year, such
as free public programming and combatting
quality of life issues on the
peninsula.
The return of the fundraiser jointly
organized by the Alliance for Coney
Island was announced on Nov. 29 and
already over $2,000 was raised with
125 fundraisers and eight teams beginning
to raise money. So far, Joseph
Neri has raised the most funds with 32
days left with $400 in donations for the
Polar Bear Club.
Not only do donations support
the community, but participants are
also eligible for rewards for their involvement
and for reaching different
amounts of donations — with all participants
receiving wristbands for free
admission to the New York Aquarium
and $2 off fl agship beers at Coney Island
Brewery; for raising $25 participants
will get a polar bear plunge sticker;
a long-sleeve 2022 polar plunge shirt;
and if participants raise $500 they will
get a spot on the director’s tour of the
New York Aquarium’s exhibit “Ocean
Wonders: Sharks! PLUS.”
Plungers must register ahead of the
event, which begins at 1 pm on Jan. 1
on the beach between Stillwell Avenue
and W.12th Street, and are asked to arrive
no later than noon for check-in on
the Riegelmann Boardwalk at the intersection
of Stillwell Avenue that will
begin at 10 am.
Participants can register as a team
or individually, and are required to
sign a waiver the day of the plunge. If
under 18 years old, a parent or guardian
must be present to sign the waiver.
Ice, ice
baby!
Polar Bear Plunge
will kick off 2022
in Coney Island
THE BIG CHILL: Plunger typically dress up in costumes for the winter swim. Photo by Erica Price