Coney Island’s Polar Bear Club greets 2017 in typical chilly style
Around 2,500 Hardy Souls Raise $80,000 for Camp Sunshine
“We’re freezin’ for a reason!” exhorts the web page Camp Sunshine dedicates to one of its principal benefactors — The Coney Island Polar Bear Club — which stages its annual Coney Island Polar Bear New Year’s Day Swim to raise funds for families to attend the summer camp for seriously ill children in the 2017 season.
While the “reason” is undoubtedly on point, the “freezin’” part was not quite as much. As noon approached and the Coney Island Boardwalk filled with registrants in costumes ranging from the gaudy to minimalist, temperatures also began to rise. It was nearly 50 degrees by time the first row of swimmers filled the starting line. Spectators, well-wishers, EMS personnel and rubber boot-clad members of the press formed solid lines on either side.