Over the next three months, the Wānaka local will ramp up training for January’s Ice Swimming World Championship in Molveno, Italy, a task he said would be “a little bit trickier” due to the changing of the seasons.
“I’m probably going to have to do some ice baths just because there won’t be enough cold water.
“I’m sort of hoping, well, I’m not hoping too much as other people won’t like this, that the lake won’t warm up too quickly.”
Stanley was selected for the Frozen Ferns, New Zealand’s national ice swimming team, after a triumphant display at the New Zealand Ice Swimming Championships in Alexandra two months ago.
Plunging into 2°C water wearing nothing but Speedos, a silicone cap and a pair of goggles, Stanley, 37, won the 1000m freestyle event, earning him the title of New Zealand’s “King of the Ice”.
Although Stanley is no stranger to competitive swimming, he said July’s event marked his first time doing so in such frigid conditions, where contestants swim in water no warmer than 5°C.
“I liked the idea of the challenge, particularly the longer event.
“I guess being able to say you’d done it afterwards was a bit of a motivator.”
Stanley was initially ready to hang up his goggles after winning the national championships, but ultimately changed his mind as the idea of competing internationally “sounded like it would be good fun”.
“It was another challenge to go over to Italy and do it so I thought yeah I’d give it a go.”
Stanley will be joining a 15-strong New Zealand team heading to the competition, many of whom were based in the Central Otago region.
To cover the costs of competing in the event, Stanley has turned to another one of his talents. He is also an accomplished violin and viola player who performs regularly in the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra.
In partnership with fellow Wānaka musician Rakuto Kurano, Stanley will perform two fundraising concerts in Wānaka and Lake Hāwea next week, which he promised would be more “friendly’’ and ‘‘informal” than the average classical music concert.
“Along the way I will be doing a little bit of talking about ice swimming, what’s involved, what it feels like to swim in waters that are that cold for that long.
“And also why people are crazy enough to do it.”
Stanley offered two key pieces of advice to anyone eyeing up their local swimming spot for a midwinter plunge — start slowly and stay safe.
“When I first started, I could only tolerate going out for about five minutes.
“Whereas now I can do, probably relatively comfortably, 20 minutes out there without spending the rest of the day recovering.
“It is possible to die from hypothermia or to be incapacitated and not be able to assist yourself if you’re not used to it.
“So if you are going to do it I’d always recommend going with somebody else and then building up slowly.”
Stanley’s two fundraising concerts will be at the Hāwea Community Facility on Tuesday, September 24 at 5.30pm and at the Wānaka Community Hub on Wednesday, September 25 at 7pm.
Tickets cost $25 at the door or by donation to the Frozen Ferns team’s Givealittle page.
