More than 80 people took the plunge Sunday at the city of Kyle’s annual Polar Bear Splash. (Photo by Lincoln Ramirez)
STAFF REPORT
More than 80 brave souls lined up at the Kyle Pool on Sunday afternoon, counted down “Three! Two! One!” and jumped into the chilly water in celebration of the beginning of another year.
Deidre Flores was among an additional 30 or 40 people who were on hand to watch instead of swim at the annual Polar Bear Splash.
“I did not jump in,” said Flores, the city’s recreation division manager. “I’m a chicken. I’m a weenie. Too cold for me.”
It wasn’t the city’s coldest Polar Bear Splash on record, though. The high temperature Sunday was 64 degrees, and the water was a cool 57 degrees.
“Last year it was like 43,” Flores said. “It wasn’t too bad this year because we had some sun.”
A few of the people who jumped into the pool jumped out immediately and ran shivering to the bathroom, where they dried off and changed back into their winter clothes. Others actually swam a lap across the pool at Gregg-Clarke Park.
“There’s always a few dawdling around, trying to stay in the water as long as they can,” Flores said.
The splash was free, but the Kyle Parks and Recreation Department also sold 29 optional memberships to its Polar Bear Club. All told, about 120 people attended the event.
