Swimmers Take New Year's Day Dip in NYC

[January 02, 2008]  NEW YORK (AP) -- Hundreds of hardy swimmers braved the 42-degree Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday for a traditional New Year's Day dip. "It was a fantastic day," said Louis Scarcella, president of the Coney Island Polar Bears Club.

About 300 club members went in the water off Coney Island, raising $30,000 in pledges for Camp Sunshine, a camp for seriously ill children and their families in Casco, Maine, Scarcella said.

Another two dozen members of the Ice Breakers took a dip off nearby Brighton Beach, member Bob Stewart said.

"The cold water clears our minds and bodies so we can experience the new year in a more fresh and relaxed way," he said.

[Associated Press]

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