Item Photo By OWEN O’ROURKE
Jared Chapman, left, and Ben Pitman test out the waters at Fisherman’s Beach in preperation for the Polar Plunge on New Year’s Day.
By GAYLA CAWLEY
SWAMPSCOTT — Those thinking about plunging into arctic water temperatures on New Year’s Day at Fisherman’s Beach for charity would do well to heed the advice of one veteran jumper.
“You’ve got to get a clear path,” Kevin Strothman said. “You have to make noise so the path is clear too. You can’t be running into people.”
Strothman, 17, a student at Swampscott High School, said he’s been taking the polar plunge for years. He said there is really no strategy for making the jump any less cold, but he just tosses on his clothes as soon as possible after getting out of the water.
Marianne McDermott, a volunteer organizer, said those jumping usually wear bathing suits, as more clothes tend to make a person colder.
The advice and strategy Strothman and McDermott are providing are for the 10th annual Polar Plunge, hosted by the Swampscott Yacht Club, which will be at Fisherman’s Beach New Year’s Day, promptly at 11 a.m.
Registration begins at 10:15 at the Fish House on Humphrey Street. Those participating are asked to donate a minimum of $25. Complimentary hot beverages will be available and T-shirts will be given to the first 150 participants to sign up.
The polar plunge will be held in memory of two Swampscott residents who died in September — Billy Ryan and Darren Spinney.
Ryan was a long-time football coach and member of the Yacht Club, who drowned in September. A portion of the funds raised will be donated in his honor to the All-Blue Foundation, an organization that is raising funds for the new athletic complex at Blocksidge Field. Part of that project includes a new artificial turf field.
Spinney died unexpectedly in September, leaving behind a wife and two children. Proceeds from the plunge will also go to the Spinney Children Education Fund.
According to a release, the Polar Bear Plunge has raised over $80,000 for local charities since it began nine years ago. McDermott said there is no goal for proceeds as the weather is a huge variable when it comes to turnout, which, she said, can range from a couple of hundred people to more than 400.
“Most people wake up on New Year’s Day and decide how they’re feeling,” McDermott said.
McDermott said the wind is the part that usually bothers participants more than chilly water temperatures. However, she said taking the plunge is worth it.
“It’s a great way to start the year,” McDermott said.
Sponsor sheets are available at the SYC website: swampscottyachtclub.org, or by emailing [email protected]. Anyone who doesn’t want to get cold and wet can make a donation by mailing a check payable to the SYC Fund to the SYC at 425 Humphrey St., Swampscott, MA 01907. Put “Polar Plunge” in the memo line.
