Wed, Mar 02, 2022 page16

• Competitors brave the US’ ice swimming ‘Olympics’

  • AFP, NEWPORT, Vermont
  • • 
    • 
    • 

  In Newport, Vermont, near the border with Canada, 76-year-old Ginny Peck gingerly stepped into Lake Memphremagog. The temperature was just above 0°C and she was competing in the US’ ice swimming “Olympics.”

  “I think I’m a cold person to begin with,” Peck said, after completing the 50m freestyle at the Memphremagog Winter Swim Festival, which took place on Saturday and Sunday.

  It was the fourth time that she had entered the annual event, which started in 2015 and had more than 120 hardy souls taking part this year.

  

  Janet Manning, left, and Philippa Rogers celebrate after swimming in the Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival 25m hat competition in Newport, Vermont, on Saturday.

  Photo: AFP

  Peck — from New Hampshire — wore just goggles, a cap and a swimsuit, as she does the front crawl through waters of 1.1°C.

  No wetsuits were allowed in the 25m pool that had been cut out of the frozen freshwater glacial lake.

  On the sidelines, curious spectators stood in snow, wearing thick winter jackets, thermals, hats and gloves as they cheered on participants, ranging in age from 14 to late 70s.

  “I think I’ve always been comfortable with cold,” Peck said. “I love a challenge. I get a rush when I get out of that water.”

  When she did get out, she headed straight to a small building on the side of the lake. There, Peck and other competitors were wrapped in blankets and towels. They put their feet in buckets of warm water.

  Some shivered, while others shared laughs with their friends.

  The swimmers flocked to Newport from all over the US and Canada. Some were experienced cold-water swimmers, while others were there just to try it once.

  “We have over 100 swimmers from around the country, and many of them have been here before, many of them are new,” event founder Philip White, 73, said.

  Categories included the 25m freestyle, 200m freestyle, 25m breast stroke and 25m fly, as well as relay races.

  Even at 18, Vera Rivard was one of the more experienced swimmers. She has swum the Triple Crown of open-water swimming, which includes the English Channel, the Catalina Channel off southern California and the Manhattan marathon swim in New York City.

  Rivard, also from New Hampshire, explained how she and her sister prepared for Lake Memphremagog.

  “We basically ride the temperature down in the fall until the lakes freeze over near our house — and then after that, we fill our bathtub with ice from outside and then get in the bathtub with cold water in it,” she said.

  Not every swimmer was as expert as Peck or Rivard. Many did not finish their swims and most needed an escort to take them to the warming hut, but almost everyone left the water with a smile.

  Although the ice swimming competition is the only one in the US, White hopes to organize more.

  “We are looking for other sites in Canada and elsewhere in the US so that we can establish the Federation of Ice Pools to do these swims throughout the winter,” he said.

  So what do the winners of the US’ ice swimming “Olympics” receive? Medals, yes — but also maple syrup and beef jerky.
• Most Popular

  • 1

    Chinese carrier group entered Japanese waters

  • 2

    Magnitude 6.4 earthquake hits Hualien County

  • 3

    Think tank hosts war games in Taipei

  • 4

    Students rescued from Cambodia

  • 5

    Home sales agent tops average wage list of TWSE