Friday, 1/1/1993

An article appears on page B1 of The Post-Star on 1/1/93. This is a
pre-event article.

Polar club plans swim in Lake George today

Lake George - It's the first day of the year, and a fine day for a
dip in the lake.

Well, at least that's the feeling of Charles "Papa Bear" Albert and
the Lake George Polar Club.

Albert's New Year's Day swim have become an increasingly popular
tradition as more and more brave the icy waters each year.

It began with Albert and three friends and grew to 55 swimmers last
year. And Albert said he expects even more to take the plunge at the
13th annual New Year's Afternoon Swim.

"It gets bigger every year," he said. The event also draws hundreds
of onlookers. The swim begins at 1 pm at Shepard Park Beach, but
Albert said swimmers shoud arrive by noon to register.

The event is sponsored by the Lake George Kiwanis and Shephard Cove
Restaurant. The restaurant is providing a free buffet lunch for
swimmers and spectators. Drinks are extra.

For more information, call 668-3551.


A picture appears on the front page of the 1/2/93 paper. It is
blurry on the microfilm, but it is a crowd of people in the water. I
can't even tell who took it. The description reads: More than 60
area residents enjoyed the 13th annual New Year's Day swim Friday in
Lake George. See story, page B1.

The picture on B1 is blurry as well, but shows 3 people cannon-
balling off the pier. The photo's description reads: Polar bears
Paul Finch, Jake Jacobsen and Michelle Colegrove follow the lead of
Tara Brown (the splash) into the icy waters of Lake George. The
group jumped off the dock at Shepard Park during the Lake George
Polar Club's annual New Year's Day swim.

There are two more pictures below the story which I can't really
make out. They are described as: Theresa Pangburn of East Greenbush
tries to put on some dry socks after her swim in the chilly waters.
But before she and the other polar bears even put a toe in the water
senior Polar Bear Norm Madsen, 68, of Argyle took the the water
temperature. It was a (can't make out the word) 32.

The polar plunge
Novice Polar Bears Take First Swim
By Paul Briett
Staff Writer

Lake George - When Brian Bearor's alarm went off Friday morning, he
realized what was in store for him that day and was tempted to stay
in his warm bed.

But he realized that he had bragged to too many of his friends that
he was going to take a swim in Lake George that afternoon. He
couldn't back down now.

Bearor, a 23-year-old Glens Falls resident, joined more than 60
others in taking the dip as part of the Lake George Polar Club's
13th annual New year's Day swim at Shepard Park beach.

As hundreds of spectators watched from the shore and a nearby pier,
the swimmers, yelling and screaming, charged into the chilly water
for a quick dip, before rushing out to get into warm clothes.

A few braver souls splashed about in the 37-degree water for a few
minutes.

The swimmers ranged in age from 68-year-old Norm Madesen of Argyle
to two 5-year-olds, Erin Burns of Glens Falls and Benjamin
Harrington of Queensbury.

Like many, this was the first winter swim for Bearor. And despite
his pre-swim skepticism, Bearor emerged form the water a zealous
convert.

"It was great! It was great!" he said. "What a way to start off the
new year."

Not all first-timers were as enthusiastic, but several said the
water didn't seem as cold as they had expected.

Fifteen-year-old April Jones of Glens Falls said actually hitting
the water wasn't as bad as hanging out beforehand on the beach,
where the air temperature dipped into the low 20s.

"The worst part was waiting to get in," she said.

But Katie Harris, a veteran of eight New Year's swims, said spending
a little time on the beach, stripped down to a bathing suit, is an
important part of the ritual.

When your body is cooled down, she explained, it's easier to get
into the water.

"It feels like getting into a bathtub," said the 22-year-old Clifton
Park resident. The water temperature didn't seem to faze her dog
Piper, who frolicked happily in the lake.

Harris said it's easier to get in the water when the air temperature
is lower than the water temperature. If it had been as warm as it
had been on Thursday, when temperatures got into the 50s, she
wouldn't have come, she said.

Jodi Ross, a 20-year-old from Hudson Falls and a devoted member of
the Polar Club, said she was disappointed that there was no ice on
the lake this year.

She recalled one recent New Year's whne swimmers had to chop through
15 inches of ice to get in the lake. The ice makes a convenient
diving platform and makes for more dramatic photgraphs, she said.

Ross said the swim helps break the monotony of winter, but added
that a dip in a frigid lake is less daunting than the other thrill
sports she's tried.

"I'd rather do this than go bungee jumping again," she said.