The family that. . . swims in a frozen lake together . . . stays together?
Okay, perhaps not. Anyways, Bear Grylls dropped a Tweet this morning letting everyone know he was not the only adventurer in the family. His sister, Lara, and her team of ice swimmers got him into the frigid waters for a post-Christmas dip. He previously said he was heading to his private island for the weekend, which puts the water temperature below 50.
“Great to swim today with some of the ice swimming GB team!” Grylls posted. “What they’re doing takes courage and determination, and I’m so proud of my sister Lara who is swimming next month in the world ice championships – you’re going to smash it!”
Great to swim today with some of the ice swimming GB team! What they’re doing takes courage and determination, and I’m so proud of my sister Lara who is swimming next month in the world ice championships – you’re going to smash it! pic.twitter.com/87K16vIc3E
— Bear Grylls (@BearGrylls) December 27, 2022
He followed up the tweet with a declaration that the team — and sport — needed an elevated awareness.
The IISA is The International Ice Swimming Association.
While this is a new and growing sport, the ISSA is governing body as well as an ambassador program. It has aims to strengthen and enable the growth of competitive Ice Swimming around the globe. It has expressed an aim to encourage and support ice swimmers to safely swim and race in waters in Great Britain and around the globe.
The 5th annual championship — the event Grylls had referenced — is set for the Samoens in France. It will take place in January 2023, and has well defined qualification standards. Suffice it to say, that this sport is not a hobbyist event or a plunge you forgot you signed up for. There are standards for ratified ice swimming miles to even participate in the event. Its standards can be seen on its website.
“@IceSwimming deserves recognition for all they stand for – and the community has so many heroes in it,” Grylls concluded. “Well done you guys!”
