Ice swimming is a separate chapter in the history of both sea and swimming. Although related to cold water, it is significantly different from pure sea swimming and much closer to open water swimming. What is ice swimming and what does it involve?
Ice swimmingis swimming in water that is below five degrees Celsius. Contrary to sea treatment, it is not a passive method of body toughening, butphysical activity in extreme conditions . Walruses often use hats and gloves as they do not wet their heads and hands in ice-cold water. Amateurs of ice swimming are immersed in their entirety. Often for a much longer time than walruses, but similar to walruses - alsofor he alth purposes .
Ice swimming - a sport with tradition
The history of swimming competition in waters full of icy water is long, and the author of the book "Morsowanie", Ewa Zwierzchowska, looks for its sources in Scandinavia and Russia. However, he emphasizes that this discipline, or - as some prefer - a form of caring for he alth, is also developing rapidly in the Czech Republic and some Balkan countries.
The beginning of the 21st century turned out to be a breakthrough for ice swimming, when it became so popular that official organizations of players practicing this extreme sport and organizing official competitions for them began to appear. In 2006, the International Winter Swimming Association (IWSA) was established, which organizes the world championships in this discipline at distances from 25 to 1000 meters every two years. From the 2015/16 season, the IWSA also organizes the World Cup. The main goal of the organization is to include the discipline in the program of the Winter Olympics. Already in 2022 in Beijing, the discipline is to appear in the form of a show. If it continues to develop as dynamically as in recent years, chances are high that it will soon join the group of Olympic disciplines.
Ice swimming and he alth
From the interview with Ewa Zwierzchowska Leszek Naziemiec, a pioneer and promoter of winter swimming in Poland, for the book "Morsowanie", you can learn a little about the impact of this sport on the he alth of the person who practices it. The competitor tells on his example howrequires long adaptationsport : “Every year the immunity grows. From the third year it was very good, ”he says. He does not hide that the beginnings were difficult and he had to get sick.
Adaptation is very important, because the lack of proper preparation for prolonged stay in ice-cold water can lead to serious consequences. “Swimmers sometimes think it's easy and throw themselves a long distance and, for example, frostbite the arm. It's hard to recover. I've seen those who took off once and never showed up after that. The costs are too high. Frostbites can lead to motor and sensory disturbances. They last for six months or more. Gradual adaptation is very important here, "explains Naziemiec.
Ice swimming and sea swimming
The most important difference between sea swimming and ice swimming is the amount of time spent in cold water. Walruses usually spend several minutes in cold water, in rare cases more than 10. Ice swimmers at a distance of 1000 meters usually exceed20 minutes, and sometimes spend up to 45 minutes in this extremely hostile environment .
Exercising is therefore more like a static exercise of blood vessels, which is subjected to short-term contractions and relaxes (especially when combined with a sauna). On the other hand, ice swimming is, firstly, a much greater effort for the body due to the activity undertaken (open water swimming), and secondly, a much more extreme experience for the body,closer to hypothermia than cardiovascular gymnastics . It requires a strong organism and willpower, but those who were satisfied with self-denial and perseverance assure that it is worth it, because in their opinion nothing gives the same satisfaction.
Bibliography
Zwierzchowska Ewa, "Morsowanie", Harde publishing house, Warsaw 2022.