so, I was on my way to work on a Sunny, -11c (-17c windchill) Spring morning, cursing the blistering cold as I rolled out of my neighbourhood on two wheels. as I rode by Centennial Beach, I spotted a lone man out on the still frozen Bay, swinging an axe into the ice surface, as the low rising Sun threw his long shadow onto the nearby shoreline. I quickly parked my bike in the frozen beach sand and walked out to see what this madman was up to. I introduced myself and asked if he was planning an ice plunge. ends up he does this daily, swimming in the Bay all year round! chatting further, I found out that Josef is a Barrie native who is a world-class ice swimmer! he’s 66 but looks about 50. he competed for team Canada in the 50, 100, 250 and 500 metre freestyle and 4x250m relay events at the International Ice Swimming Association’s 2025 World Championships in Molveno, Italy. impressive. very. Josef invited me to come out and try a dip sometime. best to try it in early Winter, while the water is still “warmer” he said. LoL. talk about embracing the cold weather… while continuing my ride into the frigid headwind to work, I marveled at Josef’s training discipline. incredible. and here I was cursing the cold and sunny Spring morning!

PS – I can’t wait for rip ‘n’ dip season to begin!

Foreigner earworm: Cold As Ice