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BEAR SWIM 2006 |
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The Chosen Frozen "Many were called (and said they would show up), but few were frozen" at this year's 8th Annual Lake Tahoe Polar Bear Swim! And of course the excuses were high once again: "You'd have to give me $20 to do something like that... no make that $2,000" This was by far our BEST event over the past 8 years... due to the weather! And those that were privileged to participate in this never to be forgotten year are: Brett Porter (returning for his 4th year, with his girlfriend Sarah), CJ Lacy (returning for his 2nd year), John Leyva (first year "blueie" (not to be confused with a "greenie"), myself (returning for the 8th year), Calvin & Devon Kelly (3rd year - but I (Dad) would not let them get in the water this year due to the conditions... although they were very upset with that decision since they continue to take several cold showers throughout the year preparing for this event). Since we did not go last year due to crazy weather and a lot of excuses, I decided that for the future we would just do it the same day the rest of the world does it, which is New Years Day. So not thinking about it, that was the plan... well for 2006 that day would have been Sunday, so I pushed it to the 2nd. We woke up ready to go and the roads were closed due to snow. And since I killed my car driving it into a pond on the 7th, we set the date for the 14th vowing that we would go "no matter what"! Well just like 2 years ago, it was a "perfect" day for swimming! "Are you SURE you want to do this today?" was one early morning response as the reports came in that there was a blizzard up on top of Mount Rose. "Of course today is the day, the weather is perfect" came the response. We headed out at about 10:30 AM hoping to allow more time for those that said they wanted to go a chance to go with us, but the thought of blizzard turned them away. As we neared the Mount Rose Ski area in white-out conditions, the questions came once again "Are you sure this weather is ok to do this in?" with the response of "It doesn't get any better than this!"
We continued to drive very slowly up the "Snow Tires or Chains Required" pass with very little visibility, and the excitement continued to build! What beautiful weather! As we arrived at the Sand Harbor boat dock beach we could not see the water (which was only a few hundred feet away) due to the thick snow and wind. But as we got closer to the water we could see the white caped waves from the wind and a snowman once again waiting for us on the beach. How cold was the water? * The water temp near the surface was colder than normal at 38 degrees F. This year we had a special surprise, the bathrooms on the beach were open and they had the heat and lights both turned on. So we got into our suits, set up the cameras and after much stalling, came the death count of 3...2................1. We quickly ran through the snow into the water, followed by the annual scream as the participants splashed into the frigid ice water and tried to catch their breaths. Sorry the video is a little long, but that is just for proof purposes ;-)... you can fast forward by dragging the play head forward. Was anyone crazy enough to beat polar bear Kelly for a FREE Awful, Awful Hamburger? Well, being more prepared this year with knowledge on how long I "should" be able to last out there, I knew I could last longer than the last record of 9 minutes, but it seemed to be much colder this year. So I was hoping to make it at least 9 minutes again, but to my surprise I had a contender this year, John Leyva! As the male ego took over, it came down to the decision that when you get out, I will get out, thus ending in a tie! So, for the sensation of not being able to feel your clothing, or to take on this years challenge of 21 minutes, join "The Chosen Frozen" next year on New Years Day as we break the ice and take the 9th annual Lake Tahoe Polar Bear plunge! The Polar Bear recruiter, P.S. Due to the weather conditions, all of the participants were rewarded with a FREE Awful, Awful Hamburger this year! P.S.S. So what is possible? Upon searching for this answer I came across this table:
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