Cold, snow doesn't stop Polar Plunge

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By Brandy Nance (Contact)

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Bitterly cold.

Those words sum up this morning’s third annual Polar Plunge held at Mouse Lake to benefit Special Olympics athletes. Despite temperatures in the teens and falling snow, a full crowd of costumer plungers and spectators arrived at Mouse Lake to witness the scene.

About 30 minutes before the plunge was set to begin, Mouse Lake was already crowded and streets were filled with cars for blocks. The temperature was around 19 degrees at 11 a.m. The snow added to the plunge making it truly polar. Plungers shivered while they waited – some weren’t even dressed in coats. Others were in head to toe costumes. Dogs attended the event as well – some small dogs huddled in their owners’ coats.

Just before taking the plunge into water that was in the 30s, warmer than the air temperature, plungers were briefed on the rules and took an oath to take the plunge for a good cause. As snow continued to fall, cheers rang out as the first plungers jumped into the lake. Then more went in. As they wet plungers passed those still waiting to take the dive, the reactions were mixed. Some exclaimed that the water felt warmer than standing on the sidelines, others shivered into the heated changing tents not saying a word. Still others said it was so cold it sucked the breath out of them.

Tension at the back of the line grew as more and more freezing plungers hurried by to get out of their wet clothes. Erin Rodriguez, of Emporia, was one of those plungers who had just emerged from the changing tent to see the rest of the plungers jump.

“It was bitterly cold,” Rodriguez said as she attempted to comb out her hair that was laced with ice. “My hair is frozen.”

This is the third year that Rodriguez and her best friend Carrie Serrano, of Emporia, have participated in the plunge.

“It’s for a good cause,” Serrano said as she also shivered from having just jumped into Mouse Lake.

For more on this story, including total amount of money raised, see Monday’s Emporia Gazette.