From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:
The Polar Bear Plunge. It’s perhaps Bon Soo’s most notorious event. It exists thanks to the work of Bon Soo Chairman Robert Diotte and Sault Search and Rescue’s Mac Nicholson – and, of course, all the swimmers who plunge through a hole in the ice year after year. But how did it all start?
The year was 1970. Bon Soo was in its 7th year, and the carnival was kicking off with a new event: a swim in the waters of the St. Marys River. Organizers hoped to find brave souls willing to take part, offering not only bragging rights but a certificate issued by Mayor John Rhodes declaring them a member of the Polar Bear Swim Club.
There were a few rules that had to be followed. Participants had to wear bathing suits; wetsuits were expressly disallowed since they would keep people too warm, although organizers did say that bear grease would be fine. While there were no age restrictions at the time, anyone under the age of 21 needed the written consent of a parent or guardian. There was no minimum amount of time people had to stay in the water and no need for people to go right under. Simply getting wet was enough. Anyone interested was to register with the Chamber of Commerce – although people had to register themselves and could not volunteer other people.
In the weeks leading up to the event, the news reported on the number of prospective swimmers who had registered. By January 19th, the number stood at eleven. The Sault Daily Star described it as an opportunity for someone to “[freeze] with his favourite local newsman, fungus tester or Finn,” a reference to the registrants: five Star employees, three staff members from the federal forest research laboratory, and three people “of Finnish extraction.”
By January 24th, the number of people registered had increased to 35, including several students. It appeared that most of those 35 people didn’t get cold feet… metaphorically. While the exact number of participants varied between news reports, the final count was somewhere between 30 and 40 people who jumped, waded, and floated their way into the Bon Soo history books.
On the day of the event, the weather cooperated – sort of. The skies were relatively clear, and the air temperature reached a balmy -9 C. The venue was a 12- by 12-foot hole cut in the ice just off Bellevue Park. Located close to the shore, the water was three and a half feet at its deepest – not enough for a spectacular dive but certainly enough for a quick dip. The setting was replete with a two-bedroom house trailer that served as a changeroom. Hot meals were available for participants and spectators alike.
In the event of any emergencies, there were three Sault Search and Rescue vehicles on-site, two Search and Rescue workers, two St. John Ambulance responders, a diver, and, of course, a ladder to help people out of the water.
The polar bear swimmers were mainly men, but the Sault Daily Star highlighted the four women who were involved. At least two were unfazed by the cold, happily staying in the water for almost a full minute. One lady quipped on her way out, “Do you give us another [certificate] if we go in again?” One of the women had even cracked her tailbone the previous day and only did the swim with the go-ahead from her doctor.
Despite the hype – or because of it – some spectators were disappointed. As one letter to the editor read, “All we saw were the backs of the people crowding around the small hole in the ice. … Unless you pushed your way through the crowd around the hole, you just didn’t get to see a thing. … This should have been something Sault Ste. Marie could be proud of.”
Taking some of the feedback into consideration, 1971’s Polar Bear swimming hole was located further from the shore, made larger, and roped off to allow for better viewing. Numbers somewhat dropped, with approximately 15 people jumping into the river, with the Sault Daily Star noting that these were “mostly girls and students.” Some took the plunge as many as three times, facing not only icy water but inclement weather – the event happened in the middle of what became known as the 1971 Great Lakes Blizzard.
1972, too, saw the event come on the heels of a January blizzard. With less than two days to go before the Polar Bear Swim, nobody had registered, although organizers noted that unless there were parental permission forms required, drop-ins were welcome. Ultimately, nineteen people showed up to go for a winter swim, along with 300 spectators. That year, at least one letter to the editor called for the Polar Bear Swim to be replaced by a family carnival day, citing that the event “has not proved too successful.”
Despite these concerns, the Polar Bear Swim continued, with 25 participants in 1973 as the event’s popularity began to grow.
By 1976, the swim had added a new twist: members of the public could vote on a local celebrity to be dunked in the water. The voting doubled as a fundraiser, with ballot boxes set up and people putting dollar bills in one of five slots to indicate their polar swimmer of choice. Individuals were encouraged to participate – but groups were also allowed to make a “bulk donation in order to ‘Dunk their favorite.’” There were five people to choose from: Dr. Lou Lukenda, Grace Pitt, Harold Brain, Louise O’Neil, and Don Cain.
Ultimately, Harold Brain, commissioner of Parks and Recreation, “won” the contest. Brain did not expect – or particularly want – to come out victorious. He had no love of cold water, telling the Sault Star that he couldn’t even stand swimming in Lake Superior in the summer. He opted to wear a wetsuit, prompting people in the crowd to jokingly jeer that he was cheating and took a quick plunge into the river. The fundraiser raised $90, falling short of the goal, with $28 coming from votes for Brain.
In 1984, Bon Soo added an age limit: participants had to be at least 16 years old to participate, regardless of if they had parental consent. This prompted at least one upset parent to write to the Sault Star to complain. The General Manager of the Chamber of Commerce responded, explaining that the rule change was made to protect children from the risk of hypothermia. The original letter-writer argued that time spent in the water, not age, was a bigger risk to the development of hypothermia, then wrote, “it isn’t a ‘Pussycat Swim,’ it’s a ‘Polar Bear Swim.’”
The Polar Bear Swim remains a beloved – if notorious – event to this day, with dozens of swimmers and hundreds of spectators and supporters turning out each year. Some people have been plunging into the cold waters of the St Marys River since the first event in the 1970s or even before; others are brand new and looking to check something off their bucket list.
Looking to participate for yourself or watch a tradition more than 50 years in the making? The 2025 event occurs on Saturday, February 15th outside the Bushplane Museum.
As grade 6 student Greg Herriman wrote in a poem published in the Sault Star in 1980, “The Bon Soo is fun, / The Bon Soo is great. / Try the polar bear swim / And it may be your fate.”
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