{"id":12258,"date":"2023-03-07T07:02:05","date_gmt":"2023-03-07T07:02:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/klassacademy.com\/?p=12258"},"modified":"2023-03-07T07:03:16","modified_gmt":"2023-03-07T07:03:16","slug":"what-can-you-learn-from-a-cold-challenge","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/klassacademy.com\/index.php\/2023\/03\/07\/what-can-you-learn-from-a-cold-challenge\/","title":{"rendered":"WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM A COLD CHALLENGE?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Is swimming in freezing water with your team, a crazy idea? Or perhaps a way to build team spirit?<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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“Best In Klass” team participated the traditional winter swim of Geneva, on the 18th of December 2022. We all made safely to the finishing line and swam 120 meters at water temperature of 7, degrees and air temperature of minus 2 degrees Celsius.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We all felt, racing in the “Coupe de Noel” made up our day, and for some, the whole year!
Most importantly, the cold challenge thought us a great deal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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WINNING AS A TEAM AND WINNING AS AN INDIVIDUAL<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Winter swimming has existed since 1934, in Geneva. The tradition was freshly revived during the Covid19 epidemic. Many started to bathe to increase their resilience and so did we.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We started diving in the lake from September on. As water became unkinder our enthusiasm started to vane. We needed trigger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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The idea of racing came up. I challenged Damien that I would race If he decided to do it.
Damien is a smart guy, spirited and competitive of nature. After some thinking he decided to do it. With him, we formed the “lead stream”. Our zest was infectious and seeing our determination, more people joined the team smoothly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Personal motivations of the people were different. Damien liked the spirit of the race. Yoko was trying to extend the limits of her physical endurance. Angela was there for the stamina. Kevin was building on health benefits. Stefano was going to step out of his comfort zone. Marco wanted to be stronger, and Pietro was enjoying the team experience. Pablo was interested in feeling “free”. Gabi desired to increase her mental resilience and me – being curious of nature – I was going to experiment the impact of cold on my psyche and body.
Lastly, but importantly, we were going to promote Klass Academy within Geneva.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We were different characters, with the professional swimmer Gabi who was caring, Pablo always bringing good mood, Pietro embracing the hardening challenge. Marco being steady, Stefano cautious, Kevin supporting the team in whatever he could, Yoko being our phantastic do-It-all person, Angela bringing emotions, Damien being the drive, and I a “Connector”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Our character and personal motivations were different, yet we all trusted that succeeding with the race would enable us to achieve our personal objectives, as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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OVERCOMING HARDSHIP NURTURES UNITY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Every week, we plunged into the Lake Geneva<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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As the weather grew harsher, the water temperature gradually decreased. In October, we swam in 16, and in November, in 12 degrees Celsius. Approaching Christmas, the water temperature dropped below 10 degrees Celsius, making it quite unbearable to even put your toes in!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Our responses to the cold were different.
Angela, Gabi, and Stefano needed 5-10 minutes to get into the water, but once they were in, they stayed another 5-10 minutes. Kevin, Pablo, and I preferred to get in as quickly as possible but rarely stayed in longer than 12 minutes. Damien was our star; he often stayed 15-20 minutes. Yoko, Pietro, and Marco bravely followed his lead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We watched, encouraged, and learned from each other.
Some of us could tolerate stress of the cold more, than others. Gabi burst into tears early in December, but we gently pulled her into the dive. Once she got in, she was fine. Pablo did a lot of warm-up exercises and swam like a robot. Damien managed his pain by focusing on it, while I concentrated on my breathing. Stefano stopped swimming at 10 degrees Celsius, but we did not criticize him. He supported us from outside and tested our clear thinking with riddles, during the dives. Yoko and Angela stayed in the freezing cold, with blue lips, but smiling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Angela documented our training, the harshening environment, and the progress we made with videos. Yoko set up a Whatsup group to share our sensations, research material and practical advice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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We kept going no matter the northern wind nor the cold rain, because the race was approaching and because the others did it, too.
We celebrated little successes and always had a good team breakfast to discuss next steps.
As time passed on, we felt safe with each other, gained courage from each other’s move, and enjoyed moving together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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Emerging into the challenge, accepting our differences, and voluntarily going through the hardship strengthened the bond between us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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SMART OBJETIVES DRIVE THE TEAM<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Even though we all grasped the benefits of the cold challenge, setting a SMART target was essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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