Alongside the Christmas memorial — the St Stephen’s Day swimming event beside Prague’s National Theatre — I. PKO’s cold-water swimmers’ baptism is eagerly followed by swimmers and the watching, cheering public. Swimmers look forward to it all year and regard taking part as an honour. It is primarily for club newcomers, but other swimmers also receive this “sacrament”, being “baptised” again for the new season. It always takes place on the first Sunday of the new year. Here is my report from this year’s ceremony on 3 January 2016.
By 3 January, after a warm spell with temperatures around 10°C, the weather was finally smiling on us cold-water swimmers. Air temperature had fallen below freezing to −3.1°C, and the water was a mere 4.7°C “warm”. To borrow a familiar phrase: “We could not have wished for better weather.” I would make one small amendment: “It could only have been better if the snow had reached Prague 24 hours earlier than it actually did.” It felt just as it should, but the photographs lack the proper backdrop.
The start was scheduled for 10:30. Participants began gathering at the clubhouse around ten to light the stove, change into swimwear and await “things to come”. Several newcomers felt a little nervous because they did not know what to expect. Those of us who had already experienced a baptism tried to reassure them, both by explaining the ritual and by showing how much we were looking forward to receiving the cold-water swimming “sacrament” again.
The ritual always begins with everyone assembling in swimwear on the Vltava bank, above the steps and the little platform that serves as the baptismal stage. An essential backdrop is the large club board showing the date and air and water temperatures. Anyone wishing to intensify the experience traditionally brings ice cubes. So it was this year.
Chairman Tomáš takes the role of “baptiser”, holding a ceremonial cup filled with Vltava water, perhaps improved with ice cubes. The candidates approach one at a time, introduce themselves and stand on the first step with their backs to the river. Tomáš sprinkles their backs with water and says “Zlom vaz!” — literally “Break your neck!”, the Czech equivalent of “Break a leg!” — to which the candidate replies “Vem’ tě ďas!” — “The devil take you!” A handshake completes the ritual. The newly baptised swimmer then descends the steps and swims whatever distance they wish, now free to enjoy the icy water as a fully baptised cold-water swimmer.
It is 10:40, and we are all lined up, newcomers in front, ready for our ritual baptism in Vltava water. Before calling them forward, our chairman heightens the suspense. With mischievous sparks in his eyes, he prolongs his announcements while we stand in swimwear in the frost and wind, longing to return to the stove. We are cold-water swimmers, so naturally we pretend it is nothing.
Before the newcomers stepped forward, the chairman christened Jack Bright’s book The Bering Papers, about crossing the Bering Strait. It made its maiden voyage on Jack’s miniature floating lounger.
We did not throw it into the water.
The children were next. First came little Kristián Haan, the second son of our distinguished member, singer Richard Haan. Then Anežka, granddaughter of Vašek Pátek, whom we tragically lost two years ago. The third junior was the not-yet-born Petr, in our member Markéta Kutilová’s tummy.
Naturally, the children’s baptism was purely symbolic. We did not throw them into the icy water either.
After the children, the newcomers finally began to approach. Their reactions varied.
After the newcomers, several I. PKO members were baptised again, along with six visiting swimmers and twelve interested members of the public.
Finally, chairman Tomáš baptised his lovely wife Taťána again, then received his own renewed baptism from Tonda Kutil.
I. PKO has 51 newcomers this year, named in list 1. Nineteen attended the ritual baptism and appear in list 2. Visiting swimmers also took part, listed in list 3, as did interested members of the wider cold-water swimming public, in list 4. I have not named the established I. PKO members who renewed their baptism.
List 1: all this year’s newcomers (51) – in alphabetical order by surname:
- Marek Adamíra
- Roman Andrle
- Pavel Barták
- Šárka Bednářová
- Zoltán Bircsák
- Luděk Bouška
- Magdaléna Cabalková
- Ján Daniš
- André Gabriel De Brito
- Jiří Dědič
- Vít Dušek
- Jana Dvořáková
- Lenka Fajfrlíková
- Jana Fiedlerová
- Jiří Habel
- Jakub Hannich
- Filip Hejkrlík
- Petr Janda
- Kateřina Jelínková
- Radek Kazda
- Vendula Kovářová
- Michal Krasula
- Michael Kučera
- Lucie Leišová
- Zdeněk Martinec
- Tomasz Muc
- Mirka Musilová
- Lumír Nykel
- Michal Podhradský
- Ondrej Poliak
- Klára Skuhravá
- Jan Slavíček
- Iveta Sobotková
- Martina Stevanovičová
- Tomáš Stupka
- Radek Šíma
- Jindřich Štěpánek
- Pavel Štěpánek
- Martin Švihlík
- Ondřej Teplý
- Ivo Tomšovic
- Mojmír Václavek
- Jan Valenta
- Milada Vejvarová
- Luboš Veselý
- Michaela Veverková
- Jiří Vlk
- Jan Voborník
- Barbora Vobořilová
- Dana Zýková
- Vítězslav Žák
List 2: newcomers attending (19) – in alphabetical order by surname:
- Pavel Barták
- Luděk Bouška
- Ján Daniš
- André Gabriel De Brito
- Jana Dvořáková
- Petr Janda
- Kateřina Jelínková
- Michal Krasula
- Michael Kučera
- Lucie Leišová
- Zdeněk Martinec
- Mirka Musilová
- Lumír Nykel
- Ondrej Poliak
- Martina Stevanovičová
- Jindřich Štěpánek
- Pavel Štěpánek
- Dana Zýková
- Vítězslav Žák
List 3: new visiting swimmers (6):
- Alžběta Dvořáková
- Nikola Hájková
- Jiří Valášek
- Josef Kysilka
- Pavel Mužíček
- Petr Šlajs
List 4: interested members of the wider cold-water swimming public (11):
- Kamil Sedlák – Tachov
- Marian Alaxin – Lázně Kynžvart
- Milan Šlapák – Praha
- Michaela Jerneková – Jirkov
- Ladislav Šíma – Benešov
- Roman Pezda – Praha
- Zbyněk Dokoupil – Praha
- Jiří Václavík – Praha
- Kamil Procházka – KLM
- Jana Doležalová – Praha
- Alexander Frič – Praha
…and a member who transferred to our club last year: Jan Kalvoda.
This season broke attendance records not only at the Christmas memorial but also at the New Year baptism.
This year was special for another reason: for the first time, newcomers received baptism certificates, designed and printed on his own initiative by our member Jarmil Vavřík.
The online magazine Pravá Praha published the article 32 CANDIDATES TRY A COLD-WATER SWIMMERS’ BAPTISM IN BRANÍK, accompanied by a video report.
Pravá Praha report
Once the wet baptisms were over, we moved after 11:30 to the Nádraží Braník pub to continue the launch of Jack Bright’s book.
We all toasted the book’s success with English gin, tasted Christmas treats baked by Jack’s mother and watched a film about crossing the Bering Strait.
Zuzka Pátková brought a cake for the celebration. Afterwards came relaxed conversation, food and drink, and people left as they wished.
To finish, my personal impressions once again: this year’s baptism was brilliant. As every year, I thoroughly enjoyed it and look forward to the first Sunday of 2017.
For your amusement, here is a photograph of three Vltava “water sprites” who appeared beside our steps after the baptism:
Photos: Antonín Kutil. Photo gallery: Cold-water swimmers’ baptism, 3 January 2016, water 4.8°C