“It’s warmer in the water”, claims Carrick de la Combe. Photos were taken in Luosujärvi.
Satu Renko
Garrick de la Combe’s Crocs™ crunch the snow under his feet as he walks. The temperature has hunkered down to around -30°C (-22°F) for the whole week.
“It’s warmer in the water,” claims Garrick, nodding towards a hole in the ice. Then he drags open the door to the sauna and disappears inside to change.
A couple of minutes later he comes out again and sets off determinedly towards the jetty. He still has his Crocs on, but has traded his anorak for swimming trunks.
“I’ll come and hold your towel!,” says Jyrki Koenkytö, Garrick’s ‘Host Dad’ from Loimaa, and follows the young man.
Garrick takes slow and careful steps, then descends calmly in to the freezing water while taking measured breaths.
“Actually it’s warmer down here than on the jetty,” he laughs.
Garrick spent a year in Finland as an exchange student. His dive into the depths of Finnishness happened almost at once, when his first host dad took the new family member to go ice swimming.
“My first dip into the freezing waters was quite a shock,” Garrick grimaces.
“I rushed back to the sauna and thought that Finnish people are totally crazy. Then I decided to try again. The ice-cold water didn’t seem so bad after a few times.
Garrick came to Finland through Rotary International. During the year he stayed with two families and his first host dad, Marko Isomaa, is a trainer with Loimaan Uimaseura (swimming club).
“At the Finnish championships in Ähtäri, I won a silver and a bronze medal,” Garrick boasts.
What was the Finnish reaction like?
“I don’t know what they thought, but they sure were surprised,” Garrick laughs.
When Garrick moved in with the Koenkytö family after six months, he didn’t need to give up winter swimming.
“We have four children and we’re used to taking them to training sessions, so of course we did the same for Garrick,” Jyrki explains.
Foreign competitors are rare at the Finnish Ice Swimming championships, but it’s not only a Finnish passion. In March 2018, almost 1300 competitors from over 30 countries took part in the World Winter Swimming Championships held in nearby Estonia – including Garrick. His family and friends across the Atlantic think he’s crazy.
“I’ve tried to explain to them that when I’m on the starting block, I just stop shivering. Ice swimming is tough for both mind and body. I can’t just get out of the water if I feel bad, but have to concentrate on what I’m doing.
Garrick swam very well in Estonia. He was 30th out of over 200 competitors in the 25 metre butterfly event, and 32nd out of 350 in the 50 metre race.
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