Students Face Pain in Polar Bear Swim

At 7:00 a.m., one minute before sunrise on a frigid morning last Friday, 70 brave—or foolish—souls channelled their inner Alaskan and plunged into the Charles River at the Alaska Klub’s third annual Polar Bear Swim.

The air temperature was 19 degrees Fahrenheit, although the brisk Northwest wind and flurries of snow made it feel more like four, but that didn’t stop devoted Klub members and their friends from shedding their clothing—some with bathing suits beneath, some with nothing at all.

“I’m very excited but I’m kind of scared,” said Ryan S. Nolan ’09 before he stripped down. “The good news is that the river will probably be warmer than the air.”

A festive atmosphere reigned upon the bank of the Charles as groups of intrepid students waved flags, shouted the Alaskan state anthem, and showed off their “nude beaver dancing.” Klub member and Crimson photographer Corey M. Rennell ’07-’08, who is currently on leave, led the traditional “jog to the Pole” up and down the riverbank to warm up participants before taking the dip.

This year, most swimmers opted to enter the icy waters from the bank of the river, although a few renegades did leap from the Weeks Memorial Footbridge.

Three-year Polar Bear veteran Jason B. Munster ’07 said, “The first year we did it, when we jumped off the bridge, we lacerated our feet on the rocks.”

Also on hand were newly-elected UC President Ryan A. Petersen ’08 and Vice President Matthew L. Sundquist ’09, along with other members of their campaign, which had been endorsed by the Alaska Klub. Petersen and Sundquist, still recovering from celebrating their victory announced the night before, had promised the Klub that they would participate in the Polar Bear Swim.

“This is the first of many campaign promises that Petersen/Sundquist will fulfill,” Petersen said, a blue-blanket draped over his otherwise bare body. “I had no idea that being the UC president would be so rewarding.”

Most participants remained in the water for only twenty to thirty seconds while others ventured out 50 or 60 feet and more than waist deep into the murky waters, staying in the river for a minute or longer.

As quickly as the swim had started, most people abandoned the Charles by 7:14 a.m., leaving behind doughnuts, Bud Light and spiked hot chocolate as they raced to their dorms to warm up.

“Cries of pain and despair from Polar Bear Swim virgins were allayed by the realization that they had summoned the first real snow of the season,” Alaska Klub Co-Presidents Robert E. Furrow ’07, Olivia H. Gage ’07, and Kenneth W. McKinley ’08 wrote in an e-mail.