ESTEVAN — About 30 people joined the Energy Dash and Splash – a polar bear swim preceded by an optional run or walk – at the Boundary Dam beach.
Since Boundary Dam doesn't fully freeze in winter, there was no need to cut holes in the ice, like it's usually done for polar bear dips. Instead, people could go for a swim, as they'd do in summer, only with air temperatures sitting at about -5 to -7 C and water being just warm enough not to turn into ice.
The fun sporty event took place Saturday, after it was postponed from March 11 due to a blizzard that day. This time the weather gifted participants and their supporters with a beautiful sunny and moderately chilly day, which allowed those doing the run/walk and the dip to enjoy the real drive of outdoor sports and winter swimming.
The Dash and Splash was organized by Peggy Rohatyn and Debby Knight, who run Fresh Air Fitness, an outdoor, free-of-charge gym located at Woodlawn Reginal Park. This year they offered participants to choose if they wanted a run, walk, bike, cross-country ski or snowshoe jaunt before going in the water. Even though there was a wide variety of options, most people just did the walk or run, and one person opted for a dip only.
"It was good. I'm glad the weather is nicer than what it was supposed to be. And it turned out good," Rohatyn said. "We lost a few people because of the date change, but we gained a few, and I think everybody that did it had fun or had an experience."
After the walk or run, people headed towards the water. Some kept most of their clothes on, others removed some of their clothes. Some ran into the water as fast as they could, while others slowly walked in. Most people were in and out, but several participants took their time and stayed in the water for one to five minutes or even a bit longer.
The Estevan Fire Rescue Service was on site, ready toenter in case their help would be required. Fortunately, the event went without incident.
Knight was among the participants for the first time. She did a five-kilometre run, which ended in the Boundary Dam water. She said, the dip was not as difficult as she expected, and she enjoyed the experience.
Rohatyn noted that they had quite a few new participants. About one-third of the people were returnees, while the rest tried it for the first time.
"A lot of people want to try it to say okay, it's off my bucket list, which is which is good … But we also probably had about 10 that came back," Rohatyn said.
Wendy Godfrey also joined the event and hopped into the water after going for a warm-up walk as part of the Wendy Tries Things Access Now TV show.
"It was a beautiful day for the Energy Dash and Splash. Thanks to Peggy and Debby and all the sponsors and others involved with the event. It was a lot of fun," Godfrey said on her Facebook page.
There was a bonfire, hotdogs and hot chocolate, courtesy of Southern Plains Co-op, for people to warm up afterwards. Organizers also arranged for bathrooms and changerooms, courtesy of Smart Rental. Woodlawn Regional Park took care of clearing the snow, and swag bags for participants were sponsored by Henders Drugs, Performance Pump Ltd., Kingston Midstream and Cuts Unlimited.
The event was also a minor fundraiser for Fresh Air Fitness, and Rohatyn said they've had a lot of support from people willing to help, ranging from the organization, to participants, to those who refused the refund and donated their participation fee even though they couldn't make it on the rescheduled date.
"If anybody thinks that Estevan is not a community of giving, they're crazy. We just get such good support. We really do. People are so generous, they come out and they do it, they volunteer, the businesses help us out. It's just remarkable," Rohatyn said. "We absolutely could not do these without the support of the people and the businesses in town."
The next fundraiser for Fresh Air Fitness will be the Coal Country Run, coming up in May, and they lowered the price on that this year. The Mercury and SASKTODAY.ca will have more details coming up soon.
