One year ago yesterday, the very first edition of the “Naramata Polar Bear Fire Plunge,” Naramata’s first ever fundraising New Year’s Day swim, attracted 200 people to the village’s Centre Beach.
Seventy of those were brave enough to make it into the water.
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Not bad for an event organized over a mere three-week period in late December of 2022, primarily to raise much needed bucks for the local volunteer fire department. That it ultimately pulled in $1,400 made a lot of folks pretty happy.
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But yesterday, exactly one year later, those numbers were annihilated.
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Approximately 300 partying people hit the sand on New Year’s Day 2024 for the second annual iteration of the event, with 150 of those taking the plunge.
Photo Credit: NowMedia/Gord Goble
Even more impressively, the 2024 fundraising total almost quintupled to $6,681.35.
Yep, quintupled.
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Co-organizer Will van Middendorp, the Naramata resident (but not a firefighter) who conceived the idea last year and actually joined in on the swim this year when he wasn’t working the check-in tent, credited a whole bunch of factors.
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Will van Middendorp chats with entrants
“This year we started two months ago,” he said. “I built a website, we developed a logo, we ordered (insulated wine) tumblers for pre-registrants, and we promoted it a lot.
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“I think there were quite a few people from Penticton who saw it and said they might want to be here. And we had a lot of local businesses support us too.”
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This year’s Fire Plunge also added hot dogs, cookies from local coffee shop Just Baked, canned music and a DJ, and even a horn to signal the start.
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And two fully equipped members of Penticton Search and Rescue (PENSAR) to stand guard at the deep end of the swim boundary.
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As for jumping in the lake, van Middendorp was honest in his assessment.
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“I decided if I organize it, I should get in too,” he smiled. “And it was cold. It was freezing cold. I walked in slowly but got out very quickly.
“But now my headache is gone.”
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Right next to van Middendorp was fellow organizer and volunteer firefighter Stephanie Denroche, who called the day “fantastic.”
“This one took a lot more prep work, but it all paid off,” she said. “People were really excited today to get in the water, and it’s been such a mild, beautiful day overall.
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“Seeing all those people dressed up and coming together in the new year, it’s just really exciting to be a part of that. And to know it’s all for a good cause.”
One of those people was Kolinda Slezinsky of Osoyoos.
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“We came to Naramata to see my sister and brother-in-law last night,” she said. “I wanted to do the swim in Osoyoos today but knew I couldn’t do that, so then I heard another one was happening here, so that’s great.”
Slezinsky’s only regret was not hitting the water with her good buddy Betty.
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“Betty, who’s 87 years old, talked me into doing this and I’m not even doing it with her,” she lamented.
For Bob Ehman and Marriette Van Wyk, the Fire Plunge wasn’t even the coldest dip they’d taken in the past 12 months.
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“In May, we drove up the Dempster Highway and went for a swim in the Arctic Ocean,” said Bob. “So we’re doing a little comparison today.”
We asked why they’d even conceive of swimming in the Arctic Ocean, and got a good laugh.
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“Well, the drive there was 4,000 kilometers,” said Van Wyk, “and we got there and said now that we’re here we should do this.”
It was their first time at the Fire Plunge. They hope it’s not their last.
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To donate to the cause, head here.