(7 Jan 2006)
1. Pan from snow scene to outdoor pool
2. Close up tree branch
3. Woman decorating tree
4. People shovelling ice blocks from pool
5. Two girls watching the swimmers
6. Wide of people preparing to go for a swim
7. People walking to pool entrance
8. Pan of women swimming
9. Close up of dog by pool
10. Woman diving into pool
11. Swimmers dancing around in a circle in the snow
12. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Nina Iosifna, Swimmer:
"The water is cold and that's good for you. Health is the most important thing in our lives. I started ice swimming after having had two heart attacks, and now I can get into the cold water without taking any medicine".
13. Man giving television interview
14. Two men singing in the pool
15. SOUNDBITE: (Russian) Vox pop:
"Happy Christmas, happiness and good health."
16. Wide pan of scene
STORYLINE:
As Russian Orthodox Christians celebrated Christmas on Saturday, one group of Muscovites decided to mark the festival in a typical Russian style.
The group gathered on the outskirts of Moscow to plunge into a pool, which had been created by cutting through the thick ice of a local lake.
Wearing few clothes, the men and women swam in the freezing water for no more than a few minutes.
The temperature outside was minus one degree Celsius (30 degrees Fahrenheit).
Ice swimming is a traditional Russian pastime, noted for its supposedly medicinal benefit.
The people who indulge in the sport are known as 'walruses'.
KEYWORD-WACKY
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