They couldn’t “bear” not to do that.
New Year’s Day, the “Polar Bears” that swim on Coney Island, was officially canceled on Friday, but that didn’t stop a few hundred renegade dead from taking off their bathing suits and throwing themselves.
“A lot of the things I usually do every year have been canceled – the Mermaid parade, baseball, everything we normally do is traditional,” said Chris Geiger, 45, who traveled to at Glendale to jump into the 50-degree Atlantic Fahrenheit.
“I said, ‘I don’t care. We will do this. It will be fast. We will be safe, “said Geiger.
“It simply came to our notice then. Normally, it is so packed that you can’t even go to the beach. This is cute. This is much better than normal. “
The Coney Island Polar Bear Club announced in November that it was canceling the event due to coronavirus concerns, so that between 200 and 300 people who took the step did not allow and violated the city’s rules banning swimming without a lifeguard.
However, they maintained their social distance and spread their frigid parties within a few blocks and a few hours.
“It was amazing,” said Rachael Pollina, 39, of Ridgewood.
“I think we just knew we would do it anyway, because we like it and, honestly, the cancellation brought a lot less than a lot. So, I think it’s actually safer. “
Typically, thousands of people chew while thousands more look, organizers said.
But on Friday, only about 200 spectators lined up on the sidewalk or went out on the sand to see the reduced event.
Among them was a trio of NYPD officers, one of whom shrugged when asked about the apparent violation of the swimming ban rules. When a Post reporter pressed, “Is the crowd too big? Can’t you arrest everyone? “,” Replied the policeman, “Exactly.”
Especially missing on Friday was Polar Bears club president Dennis Thomas, who said he slept for the first day of the New Year in his 30s.
“It’s a great New York tradition, started in 1903,” said Thomas, 65.
“And some people will go on, no matter what,” he added. “But next year, we’ll be back bigger than ever.”
In a typical New Year, more than 3,000 people go swimming quickly, while another 10,000 people watch, he said.
A 35-year-old rapper from Coney Island, named Gorilla Nems, called the annual rite “baptism.”
“Polar bears are not able to do it officially because of the coronavirus, so we are here to show that we are strong in New York and, regardless of the obstacles that come our way, we overcome this. We persevere through this because we are. We are New Yorkers. “
A 21-year-old rapper from Flatbush, who passes Danse, agreed.
“We must leave 2020 behind. It was a difficult year, but you know how it is – with the old, with the new “, he said.
“We are New Yorkers, we are back. And we owe it to those people who have not been able to come out here – some who have died in the last year, who have been members every year – to come and do so. “
Emmett McElory, 19, of New Milford, NJ, was not going to let COVID get in the way of an annual family tradition.
“It’s very different this year, not a huge crowd,” he said. “But after going through 2020, we hope it’s a better start to a better year.”