photo: La Prensa Austral

“our swim, assisted by the Armada de Punta Arenas and a wonderful armada of tonino– Magallanes dolphins– and penguins, was more than successful. it was positively magical, beginning with calm, then sandwiched between severe storms, ending in a tranquil sea with laughing dolphins accompanying the boats to shore.

Scott finished first in 1 hour, 18 minutes, Mark in 1 hour 38 minutes, Cristian in 1 hour 50 minutes after battling offshore currents, and I ended up last at 1 hour 53 minutes after an encounter with a whirlpool. Cristian and Mark arrived ashore just minutes before.”

Her fascinating account, Magellaniana, engages the senses, and might infect you, too, with the urge to commune with Nature in its rawest, most exhilarating form. An article about them from the NYTimes can be found here.

Below is a photo taken when we were dipping with the Coney Island Polar Bear’s New Year Plunge a few weeks ago. Rachel and Cristian are on the left. Center, is the ebullient and charismatic Lou of the Polar Bears, and to the right is Jonathan, who had been training for the Strait swim, but injured his shoulder. Rachel came in to take his place. They are among the hardy ones, who are out there in Coney Island every weekend.

If swimming our beautiful waters interest you, you can inquire at CIBBOWS — the Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers. You might have to wait until Cristian gets back from Chile, though!

As Lou likes to say: “Every day is a beach day!”

Congratulations, again! I am so thrilled for you, Swimmers!

1. You never get used to the cold. Some of the veteran Polar Bears will attest to this. And many still do not know why they continue to do it, week after week, for years. However, you can condition yourself…mentally. Polar Bears go in and play and have great fun. CIBBOWS (Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers) swim. Both groups meet saturdays and/or sundays.

2. Is it good for the health? well, what is poison to one is medicine to another. Only do it if the call cannot be ignored.

3. What to wear? once your head is wet, you lose heat incredibly quickly, so we go in with thick neoprene caps, or two swim caps. The feet get devastatingly cold, so go in with swim boots. CIBBOWS and Polar Bears go in without wetsuits.

4. Rush in or take your time? Polar Bears like to go in screaming and hooting. They laugh and jump and frollick. I like to go in slowly, while imaging that I’m raising my internal body temperature. Once my torso is in the water, I’ll dive in. I’ll have to ask CIBBOWS friends, and let you know, but none really go charging in.

5. What’s it like? every cell sings. Until they numb over. No–you are on another level. The water has a quality that seems to parallel your mind: clear, encompassing, forever. And cold. Did I forget to say cold?

6. How long do to stay in? only while it’s still fun! Really, leave the water while you’re still feeling comfortable. Once you are not feeling good, it’s a bit too late, for you still have the shivering stage to go through, where the cold goes into your core.

7. Upon coming out, take off every wet item as soon as possible. Cold wet things do not trap in heat, but sap it away; you’re better off with damp skin trying to warm itself up. Even little bikini pieces, if cold and wet: OFF!

8. Important: cold water hurts, but it’s the wind that kills. Cover up immediately with anything to prevent wind exposure. Polar Bears parade half naked across the beach, to the water and back. I can’t do that; my coat is right there at the water’s edge.

9. Shivering: it is your body’s way to get you warmed up. It can feel awful. There’s no position where this feels good–lying down, jumping around–none. You just have to go through it, and it helps to know you’re not the only one.

Yes! it is exhilarating. Write me if you’d like to come out and someone will be with you if it’s your first time.

Float, face down.

Are you able to float? are you relaxed on the water? Your weight should feel evenly distributed, as if the water is holding you up.

Focus on your abdomen, not the top part of your body. If your legs are sinking, think of your abs as the middle of a seesaw, and push down on the top part of your body (using shoulders as a point to concentrate on). The top part is a unit: head, neck, shoulders–if you are a good seesaw. Be careful not to stick your butt up.

It does not work if you just stick your head down! if your legs are sinking, bending forward is not the solution: your top will float up, and your legs will sink even faster!

Banana up! If the legs sink, push down on the top part.

If you do it correctly, it is relaxing, and you can zen out and float until your head bonks against the wall or lane line. Lengthen the back of your neck, feel like the water supports you, like you are on a bed, and look straight up at the moist dripping ceiling. Or, the underside of a seagull.

The trick is to push your hips up. Squeeze your buttocks slightly, and pop up the hips. Once you have the hips up, then worry about the legs rising up. If this is new for you, take a breath, hold your nose, and just go underwater, on your back, face and all. Push your hips up, and let it happen slowly, find your neutrally buoyant position slowly.

Don’t tilt your head so far back that you’re looking at the other side of the pool underwater! Water will go up your nose in a most unagreeable manner. Lay your head back as if you were resting it on a pillow, looking up at the ceiling.

You will sink if: you look at your toes, or if you let your hips drop.

In recovery, keep your elbow high with your wrist and hand relaxed until it enters the water.
Enter thumbs first, pinkie up—do not smash down—and extend your hand in front of your shoulder, not in front of your head.
Keeping the elbow high under the water, use the full surface area from the fingertips and hand to the forearm to catch water and pull strongly back, under your body towards your hip. Keep your strokes even and smooth, do not pause. Do not drop your elbow to glide!! Gliding is not the same as slicing forward to grab water.

Head and Breathing
Look down at the bottom of the pool. Don’t lift your head to breathe, but roll the head with your body to the side, thinking of clearing the chin out of the water to breathe, not the whole head. This is easier if you focus on keeping the top of your head in the water. Try to breathe so one goggle stays under the water. Very important: make sure you breathe air OUT. New air cannot come in if you don’t get rid of the old air to make room for it!

Body
Tighten your abdominal muscles and arch back slightly to keep your legs high. Don’t stick your rump up. Lengthen out to streamline yourself. Rotate from the hips.

Legs
Kick small and quickly, in a driving rhythm. The power is from the hips, not knees. The ankles are flexible, and the kick is more like a whip, as if you had to shake off a shoe that is on fire.

Our first class for C quarter will be saturday, 31 january.

10 – 10:55 am advanced beginners

11- 11:55 am intermediate

You can contact me through this site with a comment, and leave a way for me to reach you if you’d like. See you in the pool! —christina

Spring 2009 schedule:

The classes are held at Coles, 181 mercer street, between bleecker and houston. Sorry, but you must have a valid NYU id to gain access to the pool.

1. increase speed to the wall,
2. arms go to the sides (at the T),
3. lead the turn with the head,
4. as legs hit the wall, overlap the hands,
5. glide upside down, then turn to face down (if going into freestyle),
6. do not rest on the wall, take off immediately,
7. do not breathe until you take the first stroke.

the link is

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9eDAQxL5cA&NR=1

“To learn to do flip turns, you must do 1,000 of them. To do them well, you must do 3,000.” —Igor

Tigers, jaguars, lions, monkeys, some dogs, some cats, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice, and snakes can swim. Even desert animals: dromdary and camels! —now, how did they find that out?!?