‘Totally cold’ is not too cold for winter swimmers competing in a frozen Vermont lake

By LISA RATHKE
Associated Press

NEWPORT, Vt. (AP) — Plunging into a frozen lake and swimming laps may not be everyone’s good time but it is for some winter swimmers. There’s nothing better for swimmers who return year after year to a northern Vermont lake near the Canadian border. The 10th annual Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival kicked off Friday with the 200-meter freestyle race in a narrow pool cut from the ice. But the festivities started Thursday and on Friday morning some of the 180 participants swam a lap wearing a decorated hat. The International Winter Swimming Association lists nine such events around the world this season on its website, with Memphremagog being the only one in the U.S.