One year of polar dips: These N.B. women took a chilly plunge every month for a year
CBC
For many people, one polar dip in the dead of winter is enough for the year. Maybe even for a lifetime.
But not for Kathryn Maguire, her sister, Susan Ingraham, and her niece, Tanya Horgan.
The Saint John-area women took their first polar dip in the frigid waters of the Bay of Fundy last January and immediately agreed on two things: the experience was bone-chilling, and they couldn't wait to do it again.
At first, it was the exhilaration talking. One of them suggested taking another dip the following month, and then another suggested doing it once a month, and somehow, suddenly, they had made a commitment.
"We loved it so much that we just made a pact that we were going to do it every month for the entire year," Maguire said.
That was on New Year's Day at Bayshore Beach, and to this day, the three women have kept that pact, taking road trips across southern New Brunswick and visiting a different Bay of Fundy beach every month.
There's been no set schedule – "We kind of look at the tides and look at the weather," Horgan said – and no regimented route plan.
They just pick a day, pack their swimsuits, hop in the car and hit the road.
"We have so much fun," Horgan said. "And laughs? Oh my gosh. It's the one day of the month that you know you're going to really enjoy yourself. You're going to laugh and just be happy."
Over the course of the year, Maguire, Ingraham and Horgan have trekked to St. Martins, Lorneville, Pocologan and Saint Andrews and taken dips at McLaren's Beach, Mispec Beach, Duck Pond, Irving Nature Park, Black Beach and more.
They've developed a ritual, easing into the water slowly and then, on a count of three, sinking into the waves until the water is up to their necks.
"We hold it for a minimum of 10 seconds," Horgan said, although she noted that minimum rarely applies to her mother and aunt.
"It doesn't matter if it's November or February or July, they're in there swimming, going back in two and three times."
With 12 invigorating plunges under their belts, the three have learned a thing or two about successful dipping.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.