Vancouver Park Board - Polar Bear Swim 2003

Polar Bear Swim 2003 (83rd Annual)

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
January 1, 2003

2003 Event Button The Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club is one of the largest and oldest Polar Bear Clubs in the world. Its first initial swim was in 1920 when a small number of hardy swimmers took the plunge into English Bay on New Year's Day. Led by their founder, Peter Pantages, the swim has grown from around 10 swimmers in that year to the record number of 2,128 official entries in 2000.

Today, the swim takes place at 2:30 pm on the first day of each new year. Costumes and the Peter Pantages Memorial 100 yard swim race are the highlights of this event. To be a club member you must register before the swim. Registration takes place in front of the English Bay bathhouse from 12:30pm - 2:30pm each New Year's Day. You may also register by clipping out the coupon in the Province newspaper and presenting it at the registration desk the day of the swim. Your free membership includes a commemorative button after you take the plunge.

2003 Event Photo Gallery

#11,12 courtesy of www.elliot-productions.com. Click on thumbnail to view full-size image

1. Kayak in Water - Calm Before the Storm	2. Maiden - Dance with me, Henry?	3. Swimmers & Horns - Vikings registering for the swim	4. Ivy's Dip
5. Salute to Polar Bear Queen - Ivy Grandstrom	6. Park Board Commissioner Allan De Genova - Testing the Water	7. Park Board Commissioners Anita Romaniuk, Alan DeGenova and Suzanne Anton flanked by 2 auxiliary police constables	8. Polar Bears ready for the dip
9. Polar Bears ready for the dip	10. Heading to the water	11. In they go	12. They are still going in!
13. The Fox and Bear - The Fox MC Charis Hogg poses with a costumed participant	14. Trophy Winner - Winner of the 100 yard race, Trevor Olson accepts trophy from Lisa Pantages, Polar Bear President	15. 1st Women's Winner - First Woman in 100 yard race, Dawn Buie (right), with Lisa Pantages, President of the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club

2004 Event Statistics

	2002	2003
Air Temperature	7C/44F	7C/45F
Water temperature	7C/44F	8C/46F
Weather	Rain	Rain
Number of registered swimmers (record 2,128 in 2000, previous record 2,095 in 1983)	1,420	1,200
Oldest participant	Ivy Granstrom Age 90	Ivy Granstrom Age 91
Winner of the Peter Pantages Memorial Trophy	1st: David Sage 2nd: Matt Gentleman 3rd: Joel Gibson 1st female: Alysha Loney	1st: Trevor Olson 2nd: Andy Andrews 3rd: Doug Loney 1st female: Dawn Buie
President Polar Bear Swim Club	Lisa Pantages	Lisa Pantages
Past President	Basil Pantages	Basil Pantages
Announcer	April Cruz	Charis Hogg
Promotion and Commemorative Buttons	Province newspaper, Park Board, Pantages family	Province newspaper, Park Board, Pantages family
P.A. and Music	CFOX Radio	CFOX Radio
Safety and First Aid	Vancouver Park Board	Vancouver Park Board
Event Information	Glenn Schultz, Vancouver Aquatic Centre 1050 Beach Avenue, Vancouver, B.C. Phone: 604-665-3418 Email: glenn.schultz@vancouver.ca

2003 Event Prize Winners

The following names were drawn for prizes from the signed entry forms received at English Bay Beach:

Tracey Anderson Burnaby	Ashhleigh Lane Delta	Richard Olejniczak Burnaby
M. Christensen Abbotsford	Heidi Kuhrt Vancouver	Harriet Prince Vancouver
Mike Daycraft Langley	Eugene Kaplounovski Vancouver	Lorrie Rempel New Westminster
Margaret Deveney Vancouver	Bernal Javier Vancouver	Trish Rescorla Burnaby
Stephen Elder Vancouver	Brad MacGuire Burnaby	Fraser Ulrich North Vancouver
Chad Evans New Westminster	Ken McDonald New Westminster	Audrey Vlacil Vancouver
Chris Gonneville Coquitlam	Craig MacDougall New Westminster	Azir Zibaram Vancouver
David Hernandez Richmond	Colleen McManus Richmond
Glen Hudson Surrey	Tracey Moxin Richmond

Prize Donors

Many thanks to the following companies who donated prizes to the 2003 swim

Aquabus
Boathouse Restaurant
CFOX Radio
Commercial Aquatic Supplies
Empire Landmark Hotel
Lifesaving Society

Pantages Family
Province Newspaper
Sylvia Hotel
Vancouver Park Board
Vancouver Police Marine Squad

For further information about the Vancouver Polar Bear Swim Club, contact: Glenn Schultz of the Vancouver Aquatic Centre.