Madness lives on in Olcott Beach
Polar Bear Swim for Sight breaks participant records

by Larry Austin
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, March 6, 2008
Lewiston Porter Sentinel, March 8, 2008

The Olcott Lions Club Polar Bear Swim for Sight raised an estimated $15,000 for the club’s charities. Some of the 702 participants in the event were a sight themselves, given their choices of swim attire. (photo by Larry Austin)

The tradition continued at Olcott Beach Sunday for the 39th annual Polar Bear Swim for Sight.

The fundraiser for the Olcott Lions Club drew thousands of people to the hamlet to watch hundreds of people in various stages of sobriety and sanity jump in Lake Ontario.

“They come from all over Western New York,” Olcott Lions member Bill Clark, chairman of the Swim for Sight, said, noting that some people who have moved away make a pilgrimage to the Western New York’s polar bear Mecca just for the swim.

Clark said early reports were that 702 participants signed up to take to the water, more than the 576 who swam last year.

Bridget Beilein of Olcott was named Polar Bear Queen at the Swim for Sight, held by the Olcott Lions Club. Lions Club District Gov. Kenneth Butkowski II of the Kenmore Lions Club was on hand for Beilein’s win. (photo by Larry Austin)

“That’s the third or fourth year in a row we’ve had record numbers,” he said of the participant total. For some, it’s become a family tradition. “It’s a big day for Olcott,” Clark said. It was also a big day for Bridget Beilein, who was given the coveted title of Polar Bear Queen. Beilein, 28, grew up in Appleton and now lives in Olcott. “It’s a special year,” Beilein said. “My uncle Bobby McDonough, who grew up and was raised in Olcott, passed away this weekend. It’s in memory of him. He would be proud right now.” “This is my first time. I expect it to be extremely cold,” she said after being crowned and just prior to entering the water. If her last name sounds familiar, it’s because it’s the same as that of Niagara County Sheriff Thomas Beilein. “He would be my father,” she said, laughing. “He said you only live once. You’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.” The weather was mild in comparison to last year’s brutally cold wind chill, which displeased Tim Durfy, a 32-year veteran of the Polar Bear swim, who pronounced the weather “Terrible.”

“I like it better when it’s colder out. Makes the water feel warmer,” Durfy said. Durfy is the consensus Polar Bear King annually.

“It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” said Alana Thompson, 17, Durfy’s niece, who was making her first plunge.

“It’s my senior year and I just decided, why not?” said the Newfane Central School student. “This is a big deal all throughout Newfane.”

“I’m a carrying on a family tradition,” she added. “My grandpa used to fake heart attacks to get rides home after he’d go in.”

Thompson got her own ride home, but there was no word on how many people faked injuries to take a free ambulance ride at this year’s event. There were no fatalities either, although a middle-aged woman in a cow costume, who may or may not have tipped a few alcoholic beverages prior to entering the water, needed major assistance leaving the lake.

Clark, who did not jump in the lake, was also happy with the weather.

“Weather was perfect for this. We had a lot of winter, plenty of ice, but we had no wind and a little bit of sunshine,” he said. “The key thing, without the wind, it makes it a little more bearable for everybody. Everybody expects it to be in the 30s this time of year, but when you get down here by the lake and if you have a strong wind like we had last year or yesterday, it’s tough hanging in there.”

Donations by swimmers assist the Lions Club in their sight-related charities.

“The last couple of years, we’ve raised around $15,000,” Clark said, and another $15,000 total is expected again this year.

“The swimmers seem to be meeting the challenge,” Clark said. “We ask them to get donations and get contributions, and many of them respond to that challenge and they’ve been doing well. We get people that will raise, $50, $100, several hundred dollars some of them will raise.”

“Olcott is a wonderful town,” Polar Bear Queen Beilein added. “It’s a wonderful place, and it’s so great to see the community come together for such a good cause. I want to thank everyone that donated money to me. I raised over $100, and so many people gave money to the cause. It’s such a wonderful community to be a part of.”