The media spotlight has been on the the Coney Island Polar Bear Club since it celebrated its 100th birthday in 2003 when it received a wave of publicity.

At a quarterly meeting in late January, Louis Scarcella, the club’s president, said that the Polar Bears have been deluged with requests from the media. The media is especially attracted to the club’s annual New Year’s Eve swim, which draws several hundred onlookers and Polar Bear wannabes.

David Letterman’s producers want to follow the Polar Bears into the water. Barbara Walters wants to do a segment for 20/20, and NBC invited members as guests for a segment on winter modeling.

Although the club wants the publicity, they also don’t want to pander to the press, said Tom McGann, the club’s treasurer.

“MTV wanted to do a contest on who can stay in the longest in the water, we told them to take a hike, that’s not what we do,” Mr. McGann told members at the meeting.

Still the increased exposure has brought the club a steady flow of visitors from across the country and the world. A few weeks ago a coldwater swimmer from Mainland China came with a film crew to document his 47-minute swim in Coney Island’s chilly Atlantic Ocean.

The club currently has more than one hundred members, but a growing number of people who take the plunge just once. “We had 400 people for our new year’s swim. For some people once is enough and that’s okay,” said Dennis Thomas, the club’s vice president. “A lot of people get bragging rights from their friends.”

But as the club grows in number, it also faces issues it never before had to address. . A few months ago a first time swimmer collapsed on the boardwalk after taking a dip, for instance. The incident spurred the club’s executives to look into buying insurance.

It’s also made the club even busier. Mr. Thomas said that in the coming year, the club wants to centralize their publicity, promote more environmental issues, continue to sponsor events that promote Coney Island’s history such as its annual float in the Coney Island Mermaid Parade, and lastly to finalize plans to make the New York Aquarium its permanent home.

If you’re interested in the Coney Island Polar Bear Club, here is some basic information.
· The club meets every Sunday in October to March at 12:30 p.m. at the New York Aquarium’s education hall at Stillwell Avenue and the Boardwalk. But a good many of the Polar Bears are hardcore cold water swimmers, so you might find them swimming on Saturdays too.
· Club members generally stay in the water for two to three minutes, depending on the water temperature. Nevertheless, the club’s philosophy is that the colder the better. Don’t bother with the wet suit – they’re not allowed.
· Bring a towel, bathrobe, dry clothes and maybe a few power bars. The club supplies tea and hot chocolate before and after the swims.

What you need to get inducted
· Existing members suggest that potential Polar Bears acclimate themselves to the cold water by starting to swim in October, and taking coldwater showers.
· People with health problems, particularly heart ailments, should consult their physician before trying this.

What you can expect
· A Polar Bear sweatshirt, fur hat, and stuffed polar bear upon induction.
· Quarterly club meetings.
· Occasional field trips and swims to places such as Orchard Beach, NY.
· $20 annual fee.
· A community of Polar Bears in other states. There are Polar Bear Club spin offs in places such as Michigan and Wyoming.

While perhaps the most famous, the Polar Bear Club isn’t the only cold water group. Other swim clubs exist, both locally and internationally such as the Honey Bears and the Bondi Icebergs.