Name/Title
Polar Bear Individual Annual AwardsEntry/Object ID
Artifact 079Tags
SwimmingDescription
Consists of marble blocks, metal plaques, two plastic white polar bears;
Stack of 24 polar bear marble blocks all glued together. All but one has a plaque on front indicating year of winter. Plaque on each block lists number of miles during polar bear period (December 21 to March 21): 21 miles for first years, then 24, 30, and 40+ miles. Small polar bear glued on top block, all paws on ground; larger plastic standing polar bear found in vicinity of stack.
Awarded to Bill Powning.Made/Created
Date made
1974 - 1997Notes
Cataloged by Morgan Kulla 3/12/17Dimensions
Height
20-1/2 inWidth
4 inDepth
2-3/4 inLocation
Shelf
Bottom left shelfCabinet
Trophy CabinetRoom
Staib RoomGeneral Notes
Note
From Will Powning Feb 12, 2025:
Bill Powning, (my dad) joined the Club in 1968. Growing up in New Haven, he and his father enjoyed swimming in Long Island Sound. They would swim late into the fall and resume before most others in the spring. At the DC he and Lou Marcelli were among a small cohort of members who swam thru the winter. A steep drop-off of regular swimmers happened after Thanksgiving until the water temp rose. My understanding is that my dad and maybe of few others shivering in the sauna thought to encourage (challenge?) others to join them. Thus, the Club sanctioned Polar Bear Swim began in 1974 with awards for the finishers.
Dad, had a thing about keeping records. He kept a diary from the age of 15 until he was 80; it seemed no piece of paper he encountered over the course of a year failed to get wrapped into a bundle for posterity including ticket stubs to artistic and sporting events, letters from friends, menus from notable restaurants; his finish time and place number in every Club swim; and an almost daily note on his desk calendar when he swam and his current weight. Also, many photos that are now in the Dolphin Club archives. Filling in squares was second nature.
As Vince noted in his excellent Log article (Fall 2020), the Polar Bear has always been “steeped in lore and intrigue". I cannot guarantee that my addition to the lore is correct (his diaries did not survive him). There may be other old timers who can add to the intrigue.