TAKING THE PLUNGE

PICTORIAL STORY

June 2, 2023

TAKING THE PLUNGE

With Carol Dronsfield and The Coney Island Polar Bears

Photography by Carol Dronsfield
Story by Karen Ghostlaw Pomarico

While we all put our toes in the sand as the sun kisses our face at beaches by the sea in summer, some regulars at Coney Island swim all year around. There are these amazing individuals who are part of an integral part of the Coney Island community called the Coney Island Polar Bears, famous for their outrageous New Year's Day Plunge. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club’s official season meets every Sunday from mid November through mid April on the cold shores of Coney Island. They share their inspiration and drive with us through the eyes of Carol Dronsfield, capturing the spirit of the Bears through her lens.

Carol is a familiar and inspirational part of The Pictorial List community of photographers. Carol was born in Hartford, Connecticut and currently lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her career began as an advertising art director on Madison Avenue, where she developed a particular passion for photography. Drawn to her unique and emotionally engaging style, clients began asking Carol to step behind the camera to shoot their ads. She has been shooting commercially ever since.

Her recent personal work centers on street photography, seeking out the humanity of her subjects against the often harsh background of their urban surroundings. Carol says, “Living and working in NYC for over 30 years, I realized that I never had really seen the city. Shooting the streets of NYC is like my own personal theater. There are many acts, never quite the same. I walk around with my eyes wide open; my mind open to what is happening before my eyes. The city and especially its people are my inspiration.”

Carol has committed herself to the inspiration the Coney Island Polar Bears bring from November through April. Many of Carol’s Sundays are spent not only photographing but making honest connections. She shares her time with a community she thrives in and inspires her visual storytelling. Carol shares her commitment and dedication to the community she is inspired by.

“I photographed the Bears, an eclectic tribe of dedicated winter swimmers, on 17 different Sundays during the 2022/2023 season. A typical day at the height of the Bears’ season: Water temp 38 degrees. Air temp 32 degrees. Wind chill, brutal.

The Polar Bears arrive at their clubhouse which is owned by the NY Aquarium in Coney Island at around 12:00. Some hang out on the boardwalk. Some like to chat with the photographers. Sometimes there’s a photo op there.

Close to 1:00, I head down to the shoreline, usually with a few other photographers. The Bears arrive and form a circle for jumping jacks, then head into the frigid water. Some enter the water as if they are tackling it, some form a line holding hands, supporting one another as they wade into the water. However they go in, they are now all together, frolicking, submerging themselves in the water, creating a conga line moving through the surf. So much fun to watch, I’m tempted to join them.

Once the Bears are in the water, some stay for 15 minutes, others almost an hour. They never complain about the cold, though at temperatures much above 40 degrees, they’ll complain it’s not cold enough. I stand on the beach with a long puffer coat, hat and gloves, shivering as I watch these Bears plunge in the water in just a bathing suit.

I observe this community of swimmers through my lens and with my heart. I see firsthand the bond they share, the respect and care they have for one another. The joy they extract from the frigid waters of the Atlantic Ocean is contagious. As much as I go to photograph the Bears, I go to be elevated by their smiles, warm hellos or waves, silly outfits and chants, and fellowship, which always bring me such joy.

Thanks to all Bears who’ve let me share their beach for this project.”

Carol Dronsfield has shared the inspirational community of the Coney Island Polar Bears with The Pictorial List last year. There were so many Bears that had rewarding experiences, we felt we needed to share a few more heart warming positive stories from more members of the CIPB family.

MEET ELLEN BEAR: Ellen has made her career in Corporate Facilities and Real Estate Management, spending her day taking care of everyone's needs. She puts out fires, fixes things that are broken, repairs things before anyone notices they are broken, ensuring everyone has what they need for their work life. Being such an ardent caretaker, Ellen finds her swims with the Bears to recharge and vitalize her personal being, taking time to care for herself. Ellen shared her story with us. “I’m an open water marathon swimmer, a long time member of Coney Island Brighton Beach Open Water Swimmers (CIBBOWS) and a long time member of Chelsea Piers Masters Swim Team. The Pandemic closed the pool and my office. I was too afraid to ride the subway to go to the beach in fear of getting Covid. I wondered if I’d ever be able to swim again. I also took on the leader role at my company for the Covid team and had to research health advisories across the states for our offices which put more fear in me. For months and months I watched, read and listened to the news. Food became my go to and a whirlwind of negativity got in my head. That coupled with spending hours at my desk instead of being in the office walking around…I stopped putting my health first. But 2023 is the year for me to focus on my physical and mental health again. I’ve got the best support systems every which way I turn. On a few occasions I mustered up the courage to get on the train and head to the beach. I felt out of the loop from being gone so long: a missed day feels like a month…and I saw the Coney Island Polar Bear Club members in the summer, at Brighton Beach and loved the support they gave each other and they were a unified group. The compassion they displayed for each other was so comforting after all the hardships that Covid brought to so many. The bond was lovely. I’ve known many of the Polar Bears personally for many years. And thought they were nuts. Could not fathom how or why they did it. But after seeing them during Covid I decided that was a group I wanted to be a part of. I knew there was a spiritual nature to being a bear. I needed that and wanted to be a part of that support. I also wanted to extend my open water season. Since I disliked cold water, my open water season was limited to events mostly in July/August, and I was very hesitant to spend money for a June or September event that might be too cold for me. One summer day I told my friend Janete Scobie that I was thinking about becoming a bear and she offered to be my Sponsor, I hesitantly said yes!” Ellen enjoys the Polar Bear Club and her fellow members and bears, finding them to be like minded, coming together supporting each other's individual journeys and mental health. “Each Sunday we (I can say that now) support each other getting into and staying in the water, feeling the same thing, the magic of the healing ocean, doing what many of us thought was impossible and maybe even a little crazy. Together. Getting it. And having as much fun as possible while we are there. It’s an experience of smiling that lasts the entire day and beyond. It does linger.”

Ellen is not only a Polar Bear, but is a sponsor of two Polar Bear Cubs, helping to support them in their swims and guide them to becoming a full fledged Polar Bear. Ellen finds much reward giving back to her community of Bears. “I am proud to now be the sponsor of 2 Cubs! Ellen Sexton just became a full fledged Bear, completing 12 dips and being voted in and earning her patch on 2/12. Laurel Christie’s 12th dip will be 12/19 - earning her patch the 26th! Seeing them go through this experience has been wonderful. So not only have I joined the Bear Family, I’m part of another branch on the family tree: Jozef Kopelman sponsored Janete, who sponsored me, who sponsored Ellen and Laurel.” Ellen’s personal goals for this year are to go out farther than everyone else, to take photographs from the outside of the group, keeping Ellen deeper in the water. Participating in the ‘3 on 3’ full dunks for as long into the season as possible is another goal she hopes to achieve, while her most important goal is working on getting her health back in order. Ellen’s favorite swims are high tide, big wave days, she shares why. “Coney doesn’t typically get big waves but when it does it’s so much fun to jump them! They seem to be bigger in the winter than the summer. There is no escaping being fully submerged in the waves with an awesome group of people experiencing it together. I’ve realized what I thought would be intolerable really isn’t! Another thing that I’ve always wanted to experience was a snow swim. It doesn’t get much more magical than that! I’ve been fortunate to participate in one last year and I look forward to many more to come. All of the swims are meaningful but two that stand out the most: the day I became a Bear and my family was there for the first and only time! And the other was a dip on a foggy Friday night with a few fellow Bears to celebrate James Hart and Lane Spigner’s recent marriage. I am so blessed to have been welcomed into this community. Just for being me.” What keeps Ellen coming back is the unique phenomenon that happens every time her bear family comes together. She remembers her sponsor, when she first started her swims. “I could not understand why she would spend about two hours commuting each way on the subway for a 20 minute or so dip. In the cold. And now I love it and look forward to it and the commute is also a part of the ritual and has become an added bonus.”

Ellen has fundraised for the community and volunteered at the New Year’s Day Plunge, helping others enjoy this experience.

Ellen Wienberg Bear and Ellen Sexton Bear.

MEET ELLEN BEAR: We have the pleasure of sharing Ellen Weinberg’s sponsored bear, Ellen Sexton. Time and time again, the familiar link that ties the Coney Island Polar Bears together, is their true connection and devotion to their Polar Bear family. That means bringing new cubs into their den. Ellen shares her special connection and how she became a Coney Island Polar Bear. “Across the bay from Coney Island was my birthplace, Belle Harbor Queens. My mother had a rule that whenever I was in the ocean, I always needed to be able to stand. I could not go ‘over my head’. That habit stuck with me. I became a pool lap swimmer. About 20 years ago, a friend insisted that I come to Coney Island for the day. I felt like a fish out of water. Where were the waves? A few years later another friend invited me to Brighton 4th Street in Brighton Beach for the day. He told me we were going to swim past the jetties. I had the jitters but followed his lead. I had a great experience. I never looked back. After that day, I would go out to Brighton Beach from time to time. I loved the diversity and free environment. When the pandemic hit, Brighton Beach became a lifeline. I had a job in the social work area that had just ended and the entertainment world that I am also involved in came to a halt. I needed the ocean’s healing, peaceful and restorative energy. As August approached, a few beachgoers would comment about how the ocean water was getting too warm. They couldn’t wait for the temperature to drop. I thought they were crazy! I heard the Polar Bears passionately talk about their “dips” in their beloved ocean. I managed the temperature drop in the ocean until October 2020. With everyone’s encouragement, the following year I made it to November 2021. In 2022, encouraged by the Polar Bear community, I decided to approach going from a cub to a bear one dip at a time. I couldn’t embrace the whole idea of 12 dips, it seemed unattainable.”

Ellen Weinberg became Ellen Sexton’s Polar Bear Sponsor. The mentorship and role models of the other bears inspire the new cubs. Laurel Christy, Ellen Weinberg’s other cub, was an inspiration for Ellen. “The ‘dip’ is part of a great process. From preparing my knapsack for the trip until I walked back into my apartment from Coney Island, the ‘dip’. is the peak experience. For me, the process is transformative. On Sunday mornings, we communicate about which Q subway we are taking. Which subway car we’re meeting in. Once on the subway, we catch up with the events of the week and talk about any new tips we’ve thought of for getting dressed after the ‘dip’. Then when we are in the New York Aquarium's Education Hall, we visit with others. The energy and unity build. At 1pm when we start to walk to the ocean, conditions - wind and temperature vary each Sunday but, we just know that we are getting into the ocean. It is almost like we coalesce as we enter the water. Then, we have fun and dunk and just be with the ocean. It’s a beautiful experience. I carry my Polar Bear patch that I received from President Dennis Thomas on February 12th, 2023 signifying my passage from cub to bear in my purse. I am so happy to be a member of Coney Island Polar Bear Club.”

The Coney Island Polar bears create connections and bonds that span lifetimes.

MEET ELLIOT BEAR: Elliot Reed was born in Odesa, a city on the Black Sea in the Ukraine. Elliot spent his childhood growing up in New York City, but finds himself now residing in Massachusetts. Elliot considers himself a “Straight Edge Vegan Musician” creating new work committed to a project called ‘SUPERCOMPOSURE’. Elliot is known for his Boom Box that he brings to the swims, sharing his inspiration with his Bear family. Elliot shares his Polar Bear experience, “I have been a member of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club for nearly fifteen years. Every January my resolution is the same and carries me through the year: to stay fit physically, mentally and spiritually. The Coney Island Polar Bear Club community is dear to my heart. I have made a lot of kind friends, and also brought friends and family to the Coney Island Polar Bear Club for a plunge. The incredibly resilient Polar Bear Club people can be counted on to be there every winter season, no matter what is going on in the world. The amazing organizational work done by the club President Dennis Thomas and Vice President Suzanne Tomatore, along with the elected club officials cannot be underestimated. Aside from raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for a local nonprofit during the January 1st, New Year's Day Plunge, the club submerges into the Atlantic Ocean every Sunday from November to April like clockwork. We all meet on the Boardwalk, behind the Legendary Cyclone Roller Coaster for that one of a kind, ‘only in New York’ experience.”

MEET DOUG BEAR: Doug grew up with his toes in the sand, sea breezes, sun kissed skin, bobbing in the salt water and riding the waves in Long Island, New York. The sand and the surf are a part of him, and Doug still finds the same excitement when he puts his toes in the sand. Doug shares his connections and goals as a bear. “Hello! My name is Doug! And I’ve been told by many that I am LOUD! I love life, and never take myself too seriously. I’ve been a Coney Island Polar Bear for 3 years now. I swam many new years jumps before then, but in the late fall of 2019, I decided it was time that I make the plunge and make my case to become a full member.

I am a union Ironworker, building the greatest city in the world (politics aside), I am very fortunate that I love my trade. I grew up on Long Island, and as far back as I can remember, we spent long days on the beach all summer long. The sand and surf are in my blood and if I could spend the rest of my days on the sandy shores, I would. I moved to the city right after high school and fell in pretty hard with the punks on the LES, spending many a night at CBGB’s and Tompkins sq park. These days, I’m lucky to get a couple of shows in a year! But that’s life.

I have a ten year old autistic son, and most of my weekends are spent with him. He was swimming with us for a bit, but decided it wasn’t his time yet. Summers we spend camping and generally going on adventures. I love the great outdoors and spend as much time away from society as possible. I find great peace in the mountains and beaches. It would feel incomplete for me not to mention that many years ago I entered into recovery, and now spend a great deal of my time with other sober fellows and helping others on their journeys. I find this extremely rewarding and hope to be able to be there for those I love and admire for a very long time. What brought me to the bears? To be completely honest, seeing the members wear the CIBP jackets and thinking to myself, I WILL HAVE ONE OF THOSE! That was one of the initial reasons I was drawn to the bears. Of course it has morphed into so many other reasons over the years.

Being a member of the world famous Coney Island Polar Bears has been a lifelong dream come true. I love my bears and think about them all week. I love the Sunday ritual of packing the bag, getting in the car, hitting the highway, Sunday acoustic blues on the radio. I love it when I drive along the belt parkway and I see the ocean for the first time. I get filled with excitement and anticipation, and on the rare occasion, a swift, cold kick of absolute dread. On those terrifically cold and blustery days, where any sane person wouldn’t be caught dead outside, let alone be insane enough to so swimming, there we go, merrily singing, polar bear chanting and yelling, willingly step (though some might not believe it) towards the icy and medicinal waters of the Atlantic. At this point it has become so ingrained in my psyche I don’t believe I’ll ever stop.”

MEET NICOLE BEAR: Nicole Beckford travels to Coney Island on Sundays to swim all the way from Orange county New York. Being a married mother of four amazing boys, this can be challenging. Nicole has made the commitment to stay the course to become a Bear. “Hi, I’m Nicole! I’m not a bear yet, I’m what’s known as a ‘Cub’ for now. This group is very special to me because of how I was introduced. I have a friend named Robert who is also my sponsor towards full grown bear status. Robert has a very long history with the bears and when he was being made an official part of the group, he invited friends to witness the event. I just had to attend. This is a guy who gives so much and I think he’s blissfully unaware of the wisdom he imparts to all he encounters. Well, not only did I witness but I jumped into the icy water with him to celebrate this milestone and give him my full support. I fell in love immediately with the entire experience. There is such a diverse and welcoming group of people surrounding you and pouring love and warmth into you. What the week at work and at homes takes from you, on Sundays, the bears make you whole again. My goal this year is to become a WORLD FAMOUS CONEY ISLAND POLAR BEAR!!! Swim number 10 was very special to me because my goal actually seemed attainable. Two swims to go and I only hope that I have as much to give them as they have given me.”

The Pictorial List has heard that since our last conversation with Nicole, she has finished her required swims as a Polar Bear Cub and has officially become a Coney Island Polar Bear. We congratulate Nicole on her determination and success in achieving her goals.

MEET JOSHUA BEAR: Joshua Gold is originally from Brooklyn, New York, now currently living in Staten Island. Joshua loves nothing more than hanging out with his extended family, the Coney Island Polar Bears. He has been a member of the Coney Island Polar Bear Club for three years and plans on being part of his Polar Bear family for years to come. Joshua’s first swim with the Polar Bears was the infamous New Year’s Day plunge, in the year 2020. The unfortunate events of the pandemic made becoming an official Polar Bear a bit challenging. Joshua continued with his required swims when he could, achieving his goal and becoming an official Bear on November 14, 2021. This was an achievement to be proud of even without the threat of a global pandemic. When Joshua is not a Polar Bear, he is an essential part of the crew and operators at the Deno's Wonder Wheel Park, contributing to the fun that fuels the fever Coney is known for. Little did Joshua know what the Coney Polar Bears community would bring to them, and how they would drive them in a positive way into the future.

“Hey I’m Joshua Gold and I've been in the Polar Bear Club for three fantastic years now. My first swim was New Year’s Day 2020. Unfortunately with the pandemic I was unable to finish the required swims. I was then allowed to have my swims rolled over to the next season. So on November 14, 2021 I was voted in as a Polar Bear! I started working in Coney Island 8 years ago as a game operator blowing up balloons and running a basketball ball game. The year after that I started working in Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park, and with that I got to know more of the Coney Island regulars. I always thought the polar bears were crazy and I never thought I’d get into the cold ocean with them but it was the best decision I've ever made. To me the Polar Bear Club is my family and I will forever love them all! The energy from the group is so powerful and the joy it brings me every Sunday keeps me coming back. Every time I go jump in the ocean with the Coney Island Polar Bears, any stress or worries that I might have, stay on land. No matter if I’m in for 10 minutes or even 30 minutes I’m having the time of my life. What makes it even better is if the weather is calling for snow. Snow swims are the best! But even around summertime when the water is warmer it’s great to see the bears and swim with them before work and then later put them on the Phoenix Roller Coasters.”

Carol is currently using two cameras, she explains which she has chosen and for what reasons. “When I photograph the Bears primarily a Leica Q2 with a 28mm lens. A perfect camera and lens for portraits and street scenes. The wide-angle lens forces me to get close to my subject, making a more intimate portrait. I also started using a Nikon Z7ii with a 24-70mm lens. I generally prefer the Leica, it’s small, lightweight and easy to maneuver. With the Bears you have to be quick and ready for anything.”

Carol finds inspiration in a quote from Gertrude Caroline Ederle, (born October 23, 1905, New York, New York, U.S.—died November 30, 2003, Wyckoff, New Jersey), American swimmer who was the first woman to swim the English Channel in 1926 and is one of the best known American sports personalities of the 1920s.

Quote: “To me, the sea is like a person – like a child that I’ve known a long time. It sounds crazy, I know, but when I swim in the sea, I talk to it. I never feel alone when I’m out there.” – Gertrude Ederle

The Pictorial List is enthused with Carol's connection to the Coney Island Polar Bears, and are pleased to present some more of the Bear’s personal stories to coincide with Carol’s unique way of visual storytelling seeing her subjects come to life through the lens of her camera. Thank you Carol for sharing your inspiration with our photography community.

Carol’s work has been exhibited at the International Center Of Photography, the Annual Women Street Photographers exhibit in NYC 2020, Art On The Ave NYC 2020, the Women Street Photographers Inaugural Virtual Exhibition 2021, the 2nd Women Street Photographers Virtual Exhibition 2021, Women Street Photographers Exhibition in Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico at the National Museum of Anthropology, “More Art of Coney Island” BWAC Gallery Red Hook, Brooklyn and currently is in the Women Street Photographers Exhibition in NYC 2023. In December of 2021, Carol’s interview, ON THE BOARDWALK, and in April 2022, part one of the Coney Island Polar Bears series, MAKING A SPLASH was featured on The Pictorial List website.

view Carol's portfolio

Read Part One of this story - "Making a Splash: with the Coney Island Polar Bears" >>>

Read an interview with Carol >>>

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