182 winter swimmers and 40 volunteers are on their way to Newport, Vermont for the 10th annual Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival that will be held this weekend on February 22nd – 25th.
The events range from 25m to 200m in a two-lane 25m pool cut in the ice of Lake Memphremagog. The winter swimmers enjoy the opportunity to challenge themselves to Siberian-like conditions and negative swimming. Event director Phil White explains, “Water temperatures are typically 30.5°F or -0.8°C (microscopic slush) with the air temperatures generally range from -10°F to 35°F (-23°C to 1.6°C). Winds can be negligible to whipping.”
Event Growth
The growth has been significant, he says. “Over the past decade, the Festival has evolved from a single afternoon of swimming with 41 Pioneers to an annual tribal gathering with three days of swimming. Clans such as the L Streeters from Boston, the Buckeye Bluetits of Ohio, the Cold Tits Warm Hearts of Maine, the Dabulamanzi of Maryland, and the CIBBOWS swimmers from New York City will be joining winter swimmers from all over North America. Swimmers will be traveling from British Columbia (2), Ontario (10), Quebec (6), New Brunswick (1), Great Britain (1), Mexico (2), Washington (1), Oregon (1), California (8), Arizona (1), Illinois (2), Connecticut (6), DC (1), Georgia (1), Massachusetts (35). Maryland (15), Maine (4), North Carolina (2), New Hampshire (5), New Jersey (5), New York (24), Ohio (12), Pennsylvania (3), Rhode Island (4), Texas (2), Virginia (15), and Vermont (12).
Just about half of this year’s participants will be swimming in Lake Memphremagog for the first time. They have all trained and qualified for the swim. Newport Ambulance Services will be on hand, along with 40 volunteers to support and help each and all of the swimmers.
One swimmer from Pennsylvania said after her first winter swim in Newport, ‘We felt welcomed, celebrated, and safe.’ Another, a 70-year-old from Toronto, said, ‘During this weekend, Newport is the happiest place on the planet.'”
Pool Cutting and Carving
Michael Booth and his Boyz of Winter will begin cutting the pool on February 21st and 22nd when they will be dropping the platforms, setting up flags, officially opening the pool with a ribbon cutting by Mayor Linda Joy Sullivan, a potato gun salute, and an inaugural swim by our local clan of winter swimmers, known as the Shark Bait Sheilas.
Day One
Friday morning kicks off with the fiercely competitive Hat competition at 10 am, followed by the 200-meter freestyle at 1 pm. Swimmers will hit the streets on Friday, dining around town.
Registered Swimmers
- Hélène Caron, 53
- Sylvie Kruchten, 68
- Nadine Bennett, 50
- Delphine Adenot-Owusu, 38
- Susan Benoit, 42
- Tom Heyerdahl, 61
- Aimee Jones, 41
- Susan McKay, 45
- Pamela Plant, 55
- Josef Polcz, 64
- Emily Porter, 38
- Inge Tamm, 48
- Melanie Van Pypen, 45
- Claire Brillon, 27
- Jill Hugessen, 63
- Frederik Masson 39,
- Samuel Samson 30
- Sebastien Zappa 48
- Julie Zeitlinger 53
- Anna Valeria Zuccolotto Soto 38
- Arleen Gonzalez 41
- Clare Williamson F 46
- Yuriko Valdez F 34
- Chris Ballard 49
- Diana Corbin 55
- Suzie Dods 63
- Quinn Fitzgerald 40
- Michelle Goodwin 29
- Pia Hinckle 58
- Kristin Hutchins 57
- Elaine Van Vleck 58
- Miroslaw K Gabrys 47
- Amy Meskill 32
- Susie Nolan Loiselle 59
- Jeff Rubin 60
- Christopher Spearing 58
- Derek Yach 67
- Anne Forster 57
- Trista Mennen 46
- Qing Li 34
- Rebecca Thompson 44
- Joanne Barker 59
- Richard Born 61
- Peter Breton 57
- Renee Charp 47
- Martin Colwell 41
- Laurie Craigen 46
- Amy Craigen 36
- Rena Demeo 54
- Isabella Gerardi 19
- Cathie Ghorbani 59
- Michelle Goldhaber 49
- Christopher Graefe 49
- Ted Hirsch 62
- Elaine Howley 45
- Ann Jochnick 61
- Paula Kany 56
- Lee Kaplan 46
- Sophie Kirby 58
- Natalie Lang 46
- Lucie Monroe 45
- Karen Nazor 60
- Damase Olsson 54
- Adina O’Neill 51
- Nick Pavey 50
- Carol Pearl 58
- Grace Pietsch 41
- Elliot Reed 43
- Erik Rieth 51
- Margaretta Sangree 66
- Cindy Seltzer 55
- Doug Smith 73
- 73 Sandy Smith 54
- Irena Sumbera, 61
- Karin Turer 47
- Martha Wood 60
- Reynald Dupuis 54
- Sue Faibisch 54
- Pauline Farmer-Koppenol, 49
- Chuck Flayhart M 56
- Anita Hartsock F 49
- Sheldon Hinegardner M 52
- Susan Hinegardner F 55
- Lisa Kokes F 64
- Janet Manning F 60
- Kathy McCarty F 62
- LaVerne Miers-Bond F 62
- Mark Milleker M 60
- James Rogers M 64
- Lori Rogers F 63
- Carol-lynn Swol 53
- Cathy Chamberlain, 63
- Tracy Haskell, 59
- Puranjot Kaur, 44
- Martha LaRiviere, 71
- Katie Kalka, 48
- Meredith Moore, 50
- Kristen Berube, 32
- Emily Donelan, 37
- Scott Henkels 45
- Joel Lanz51
- Alex Woolley 41
- Angelina Chiarello 15
- Joe Chiarello 51
- Ruth Gilgenbach 39
- Lara Henrichs, 54
- Andrew Wallace 58
- Robert Bailey 56
- Robbie Bailey 55
- Robert Bland 71
- Jacqueline Broner 58
- Guga Chacra 46
- Madeline Collins 32
- James Dieter 55
- Francis Donohue 47
- Amr Elghaziri 39
- Julian Flear 58
- Edward Gabriels, 62
- Terri Gumula 57
- Jennifer Hynes 44
- Juliet Kadlecek 54
- Kirsten Kramer 44
- Chance Krempasky 40
- Anand Krishnan 53
- Jarred Lustgarten 44
- Jonathan O’Connor 33
- Nathan Oertel 42
- Elizabeth Pearl 55
- Rebekah Peterman 28
- Medea Ramnath-Christiansen 32
- 131 JessAnn Smith 38
- Diane Adams 58
- Susan Amidon 62
- Margaret Gadzic 45
- Marci Held 44
- Claire Hilbers 45
- Mary James 41
- Jan Jordan 69
- Kelly Mastriacovo 55
- Carissa Mills 43
- Heather Ryan 52
- Gigi Somerville 62
- Tim Steckel, 37
- Sam Levinson 36
- Ford Currie, 38
- Emma Dahl 26
- Stephen Rouch 43
- William Abt 62
- Keith Andrews 70
- Lorena Pugh 65
- Janne Roehm 71
- Christopher Sowa 53
- Amy Bush 48
- Matt Bush 52
- Dana Damico 51
- Tobias Damico-Lassman 14
- Christine Harrison 38
- Brian Jaskot 44
- Kent Lassman 48
- William Lynch 34
- Matthew Marcy 56
- Miles Nelson 14
- Andrea (Andie) Nelson 44
- Alessio Rimoldi 28
- Robert Soulliere 59
- Michaela Tryder 44
- Isabella Villano 16
- Peter Villano 51 Falls
- Kathryn Wiseman 59
- Charlotte Brynn 57
- Susannah Conway 32
- Cathy Delneo 47
- Ian Grimmer 54
- Pam Ladds 74
- Lucy Pilcher 38
- Margaret Rivard 16
- Vera Rivard 19
- Jamie Rosenfeld 35
- Lynn Rublee, 67
- Suzanne Szermer, 67
- Arjan Vanderschoot, 54
- Shea DeWald, 29
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