2010-02-07

Urskin & The Polar Boss

Polar Bears is the name for a group that meets socially to go ritualistically "swimming" during the coldest time of the year--the Polar Bear Plunge. They believe the periodic icy bath to be invigorating, therapeutic, even spiritual. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club is a New York City regional chapter of this world wide club, who meet at the Coney Island boardwalk to take the plunge in the Atlantic every Sunday from November to April.




Sister Spanky, had joined this group and become a regular, and had been imploring her friends to join her for several months. After many failed resolutions and attempts--it is harder than one would imagine to make it to Coney Island by 1 PM on a Sunday in winter--one day in early Feburary, 2010 Urskin managed to make it.




It turned out this particular plunge was being taped for an episode of The Cake Boss, a reality-based TV show about a bakery and its stereotypically New York Italian staff.