Support The 2010 Duluth Polar Bear Plunge, A Great Cause!

“dang! I’m kinda cold out here in a t-shirt…” I thought to myself. “Well, you’re going to be a lot colder in just a few minutes!” As Blackie and I walked briskly along the Lakewalk with the other Plungers, we came around the corner and my mouth fell open; there had to be 1000 people jammed onto the Lakewalk. There was 20 ambulances, at least 40 police officers, several large tents, and a couple of radio stations. Lots of paramedics,

photo by Special Olympics Minnesota

and several people in red and yellow dry-suits

floating in the water. And a big, jagged hole chopped in the ice on the shore, ringed by a boat dock like my grandfather used to have on the lake.

We hurried down the path, and soon found another group of folks wearing the same shirt that I was. These were the people from my job, and we were all jumping together.

It felt really good being out there with folks from work. We were supporting a great cause, and doing something fun together. I wished that more of us had decided to Plunge!

We gathered for a photo and then were told we could jump at any time. Eeeeehhh! The excitement! I was pretty nervous, ‘cause I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pretty darn sure it wouldn’t be good though!

We chatted with people in the crowd, and posed for more pictures. I watched the line of people on their way to the lake; people wearing nothing but shorts and sandals, bikinis even. People wearing costumes of chickens and moose, people dressed as bikers or goth girls. It was a lot of fun watching every one!

Finally, we decided to get in line. Mark, Jim, Crystal and I decided we would jump together. I was getting butterflies now. “Ohhhh, this is gonna suck…” I said to myself. We slowly ambled forward in line, watching the jumpers as they popped up out of the water. Their faces looked so surprised!

Finally it was our turn! My stomach fluttered, but I had to put on a brave face, ‘cause 1000 people were watching, including about 100 people that knew me!

We walked out on to the dock, and it bobbed up and down a bit as it floated on the water. We had to move fast, because there were a lot more people left to jump. We held hands, Mark counted 1-2-3! And I launched myself off the dock!

I hit the water and bent my knees to absorb the blow when I hit bottom. It felt just like I thought it would; VERY WET, and VERY COLD. I found my feet, and then stood up. And that’s when it was REALLY COLD! The water wasn’t that bad, but the cold air on wet skin was almost painful!

I lost my breath a little bit due to the cold, and made my way to the ladder so I could climb out on shore. A policeperson offered a hand, and helped to pull me up. I wiped the water out of my eyes, and was amazed at how cold it was as it came off my face. Dang, that was cold!

I followed the crowd up the hill past the Plungers, and towards the changing tent. Blackie threw a towel around me from the sidelines, and I wrapped it around my shoulders. I had survived!

Looking back, it honestly wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. It was cold, don’t get me wrong, but I had built it up into my mind as being very painful. It really wasn’t. Honestly, it wasn’t too bad.

This year, I have the chance to Plunge again. There’s a lot more folks from work this time. One of our executives challenged her folks in a contest, and they all have to jump! The real winners are the Special Olympian’s though, because my company has raised a lot of money this year.

If you want to help us out, there’s still plenty of time. You can pledge at this link. Or, if you prefer, you can hand the money to me at work before Friday at approximately noon. And if you work at the same place I do, this allows you to claim participation in a company-sponsored charity activity. Everyone wins!

Come down to Canal Park on Saturday, February 20th, at around 3pm. We’ll be easy to find, you can’t miss us! Watch me jump in the lake and get REALLY cold. And a lot of my company’s management is jumping also! They’ll be even more fun to watch than me!

Regards,

p.s. That link to pledge is here. It’s for a great cause, and a lot of fun! See you there!