Mary Langenfeld
The Foxie Dippers submerge into the Yahara River.
It hurts so good. Katrina Pycha-Holst, from left, Rebecca Doran, Olivia Johansson and Jaime Irving in the Yahara River.
Jaime Irving stands on the steps next to the Yahara River wearing a black two-piece swimsuit, neoprene booties and a knitted hat. A bracing wind has been blowing all morning, ushering in much colder temperatures than the 70-degree mid-March temps from just two days earlier.
With her bare arms wrapped around her torso, Irving greets several other women, some who spread out yoga mats on the steps as place holders for their gear. “This is no bullshit today,” says Irving, a co-founder of the “Foxie Dippers,” a group of women who meet on Sundays at 11 a.m. to dunk in the river.
While some of the dippers are still removing their winter coats and sweatshirts to reveal swimsuits underneath, Irving abruptly turns to the water and steps in. “I can’t wait any longer,” she says. The other women soon follow, wading into the water at varying speeds and eventually gathering in a line near the opposite riverbank where it’s deeper.
One woman immediately drops down in the water up to her shoulders, while Irving stands upright, her hands on her head. She says her elbows are sensitive to the cold water. The conversation in the water turns to how the river’s silty bottom feels like marshmallows underfoot.
Heather Howard, another co-founder of the Foxie Dippers, arrives on the scene. Peeling off her hooded, bright orange wearable blanket, Howard charges into the water with no hesitation. “What’s the time?” someone calls out. “11:04,” Irving replies. With a goal of 11 minutes, the countdown begins.
Cold plunging, the practice of immersing oneself in very cold water, isn’t new. Anyone familiar with Scandinavian culture or who has seen the film Major League knows that northern Europeans and athletes have long relied on ice baths to help stave off inflammation and promote wellbeing. But in recent years, thanks in large part to social media, cold plunging — specifically the kind done in community — is trending. A scroll down my Instagram feed finds any number of posts featuring groups of women from Maine to Washington State donning swimsuits and neoprene gloves as they huddle together before taking the plunge.
As Howard makes her way through the water a new round of greetings begins. A few core members dip most Sundays but often someone new joins the bunch; after a couple of minutes one of these newbies exits the water, pulls on a hooded sweatshirt, tucks her knees up to her chin and watches from the sidelines. “We’re at seven and a half minutes,” Irving calls out.
At exactly 11 minutes, Irving leads the seven remaining women out of the river, their bright red limbs now exposed to the air.
A few of the dippers dry off quickly and run for their cars but Irving and Howard put their layers back on and linger on the steps. They share how they decided to form the women-only group last year after plunging with another group where husbands and kids also joined. Kids, being kids, were splashing around and being loud, making it hard to achieve that “sacred time in the water” vibe. “The child dip that nearly broke us all,” Irving says. “So, we just moved down river.”
Irving and Howard say cold dipping makes them feel better physically. For Irving, it helps her cope with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a complex and chronic pain condition. But it’s the community that keeps them coming back, they agree. “It’s women supporting women,” Irving says. With that she tells Howard that she’s gotta go — she’s cold and it’s time to warm up.
February 26, 2023: Irving and Howard’s first cold dip together
29° F: The air temperature at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 16
55-60° F: A good water temperature for new cold dippers, according to cold plunging experts
low 40s° F: Ideal water temperature for more experienced cold dippers
239: Number of Foxie Dippers in Facebook group
About 10: Number of Sunday regulars
Dip at your own risk: Foxie Dippers group rule
