TAKING THE PLUNGE by CAROL DRONSFIELD

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.

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.

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