Big Shots for January 6, 2010

Big Shots begins the new year with a traditional swim in frigid waters in many parts of the world before continuing the weekly tour of global sports with stops in Bikaner, India for sand dune racing, London for pub darts, and the molten lava of the Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala for the start of the World Harmony Run. Later this week I'll have a special post on the college football bowl season, and later this month I'll look at ski jumping and cross-country car rallies. ( 28 photos total)

Hundreds took part in the L Street Brownies polar bear plunge in Dorchester Bay in Boston on the first day of the new year. (Essdras M Suarez/ Globe staff)

An ice swimmer of the 'Berliner Seehunde' (Berlin seals) takes a dip in the cold waters of lake Oranke in the eastern Berlin district of Alt-Hohenschoenhausen January 1. (REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz) #

Marco Fois dives into the Tiber River from the Cavour Bridge January 1 after sprinkling the muddy water with sparkling wine, continuing an annual tradition which dates back to 1946. (REUTERS/Tony Gentile) #

A rescue diver watches as a man leaps from a bridge into the River Dove during a traditional New Year's Day annual charity event in Mappleton, England January 1. Teams paddle down a half-mile stretch of the river and then jump off a bridge. Contestants then have to run 500 yards to a pub. (REUTERS/Darren Staples) #

Swimmers run into the waters of English Bay during the 90th annual Polar Bear Swim in Vancouver January 1. (REUTERS/Andy Clark) #

People participate in a sand dune race on the sidelines of the annual camel festival in Bikaner in Rajasthan state, India December 31. (AP Photo) #

Jonathon Seed, Joint Master and Huntsman with the Avon Vale Hunt, leads the hounds and the horses for their traditional Boxing Day hunt December 26 in Lacock, England. (Matt Cardy/Getty Images) #

Afghan men play soccer in an old swimming pool in Kabul December 30. (REUTERS/Marko Djurica) #

Atletico Madrid's Antonio Lopez (center) celebrates their second goal against Sevilla during a Spanish League football match at the Vicente Calderon Stadium January 2 in Madrid. (PEDRO ARMESTRE/AFP/Getty Images) #

Chelsea's Frank Lampard (center) tries to shoot past Watford's Scott Loach (in green) and Jay Demerit (right) during their FA Cup match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge stadium January 3. (CARL DE SOUZA/AFP/Getty Images) #

Canada's Brayden Schenn flies over Team USA's goalie Jack Campbell as the puck goes into the net during the 2010 IIHF U20 World Junior Hockey Championship in Saskatoon, Canada December 31. (REUTERS/Shaun Best) #

The New York Jets' Jim Leonhard sacks the Cincinnatti Bengals' J.T. O'Sullivan, who fumbles the ball during their NFL football game in East Rutherford, New Jersey January 3. (REUTERS/Mike Segar) #

The New England Patriots' Tom Brady is upended after a hit by the Houston Texans' Connor Barwin during their NFL football game in Houston January 3. (Jim Davis/Globe Staff) #

England's Jonathan Trott pauses after mishandling a shot from South Africa's Paul Harris on the final day of the second Test cricket match at the Kingsmead in Durban, South Africa December 30. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe) #

A youth practises his parkour skills in Khan Younis, Palestine December 31. (REUTERS/Mohammed Salem) #

Tobias Angerer of Germany competes on track during the qualification of the Tour de Ski 1.2 km free sprint cross country race in Prague January 4. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek) #

Eponymous flakes swirl around the Indianapolis Colts' Justin Snow during an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. January 3. (AP Photo/Dean Duprey) #

The Edmonton Oilers' Jean-Francois Jacques (right) and the Toronto Maple Leafs' Mike Komisarek fight during their NHL hockey game in Edmonton December 30. (REUTERS/Dan Riedlhuber) #

Phil Taylor throws his dart past hostesses during the final of the Ladbrokes World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London December 3. (AP Photo/Anthony Devlin/PA) #

Texas-Pan American's Aleeya Grigsby (left) fights for a rebound in front of Baylor defenders during an NCAA college basketball game December 30 in Waco, Texas. (AP Photo/Duane A. Laverty) #

The Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant (right) celebrates with teammate Sasha Vujacic after Bryant made a last-second game-winning shot to beat the Sacramento Kings in an NBA basketball game in Los Angeles January 1. (AP Photo/Alex Gallardo) #

College of Charleston's Jeremy Simmons celebrates with fans after his team upset powerhouse North Carolina in overtime during an NCAA college basketball game in Charleston, S.C. January 4. (AP Photo/Mic Smith) #

Michele De Havilland steers her flaming cart during the Hoar Cross Downhill Soap Box race December 30 in Lichfield, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images) #

During the start for the World Harmony Run, Purnahuti Wagner lights the torch from a river of molten lava of the Pacaya Volcano in Guatemala January 1. The run will travel this year to 100 countries on six continents. (Prabhakar Street/AFP/Getty Images) #

Reena Kaushal Dharmashaktu, a participant of Kaspersky Commonwealth Antarctic Expedition, builds a base camp in Patriot Hills, Antarctica January 2. Eight women from the Commonwealth countries of Cyprus, Ghana, India, Singapore, Brunei, New Zealand, Jamaica and Britain took part in the 559 mile ski expedition across Antarctica to the Geographic South Pole. (REUTERS/Alexander Blotnitskiy) #

A Curler throws a stone during a curling match on the Lake of Menteith January 4 in Port of Menteith, Scotland. (Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images) #

Surfer Masabumi Kanazawa washes his surfboard during the last sunset of 2009 on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu December 31. (REUTERS/Larry Downing) #

Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal attend the launch of the ATP Qatar Exxon Mobile Open at the Souq Waqif January 3 in Doha, Qatar. (Ian Walton/Getty Images) #

Sports

Big Shots for January 6, 2010