Open Water Is Only The Tip Of An Iceberg

Open Water Is Only The Tip Of An Iceberg

Tom ‘Iceman’ McGann, himself a passionate proponent of winter bathing took a great photograph of the Iceberg Athletic Club in January 1962. Those tough men, members of a club founded in 1918, look remarkably physically fit, full of vitality and ready to hit the waves in any temperature.

The Iceman describes the group, “They range in age from 25 to 75. John ‘Icecube’ Sineno who is fourth from left was around 25 at the time.

He lived his whole life in the Coney Island area where he had a 12-year stretch where he went in the ocean every day. But he did not know how to swim at all. Second from left is Ed ‘Chief Running Horse’ Sorocki who was listed as going in the ocean at Coney on New Years Day for 50 years straight. Second from right is Vic Boff who was a great health food enthusiast and salesman, exercise proponent with old-time barbells. The last man on the right is Joe ‘The Great Rollino’ who was known for a while as the strongest man in the world. Joe was run over last year at the age of 104 when he was still bending quarters with his fingers for the neighborhood kids
.”

What an incredible group of individuals whose vitality probably had something to do with their cold-water swimming habits.

Copyright © 2011 by Open Water Source
Steven Munatones