EVENTS/FESTIVALS

Ah, New Year's: The one time of year when it's OK to consume copious amounts of alcohol and make out with hot strangers under a giant disco ball. But slipping into a swimsuit and jumping into a near-frozen ocean? That's too wild for our blood. But for members of the Atlantic City Polar Bear Club, it's a typical way to ring in the New Year. "I wasn't much for New Year's Eve," says ACPB member Gloria Trainor. "I like it quiet … nothing crazy." Trainor's been doing the swims for 13 years, along with husband Ed, and says that being in the water is unreal. "You ask yourself, 'Did I really just freeze?'"

Purple appendages and hypothermia are a major concern for the Bears, says Don Lenox, who got "sucked into going" 15 years ago and has been taking the plunge annually ever since. Lenox says he's "too old" to party and would much rather spend his New Year's with like-minded ice divers. Swimmer Jon Henderson starts prepping a week before the event by taking cold showers. "Now imagine that while standing next to 300 people," he says. "What better way to start the new year than a shock to the system."

And Ralph Thomas, 80, insists he's hooked, much to his wife's chagrin. He enjoys the challenge and drinking hot cocoa at the Hard Rock Cafe with the other Bears after the swim.

So who's got more balls? The 22-year-old who spends the night puking up cheap vodka tonics or the 80-year-old whose wife indignantly says, "It's nothing to be proud of"? Throw in the fact that all proceeds are donated to charity and Old Man Winter wins again.

15th Annual Polar Bear Swim, Sun., Jan. 1, registration begins at 11 a.m., dip at noon, $20, beach in front of Showboat and The House of Blues, 801 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, N.J., 609-412-0341, www.atlanticcitypolarbearclub.com.