Polar Bear Plunge

Yesterday was the big day. Unfortunately for me, the lake had ice on it (although not that much), the sun was not out, and the air temperature was around freezing. We got there around 1.5 hours before going in, so there was a lot of anticipation.

We didn't exactly know what was going on, but we had to go through a "parade" of participants first (meaning we had to go out in the cold, then come back inside). Well, as soon as we got inside, we realized it was almost our time to go plunging. So, we went back outside again. Waiting in our shorts out in the cold was actually one of the worst parts of the entire ordeal.

Here's the video. I am the 4th from the left. Yes, I did stay out there longer than the others. I'm not really sure why. But, to be honest, it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be. It was weird though, when I decided I was out far enough, I tried to get up and turn around, and well, it's just not as easy as it usually is. I was telling my body to stand up and it just doesn't respond quite as fast. A weird feeling to say the least. Getting out was worse than being in I think. The only thing that really hurt was my feet (a sentiment shared by others as well). The rest of my body just sort of tingled.



The plan for our group was to take three steps and dive in head first. Everyone followed that plan except for the guy who has been talking smack for the last three weeks, Curt (a fellow science teacher). He is the one who convinced us all to do this crazy feat. He is the one who said he was going to dunk anyone that didn't go under. Nobody knew he didn't go under until we got back inside, and the front of his shirt was nearly dry! He told us he "fell backwards." Needless to say, with the video evidence we don't quite believe him. I wish I would have known he didn't go under, or I would have tackled him! The only thing he has going for him is that he did raise over $400 for this event. Not too shabby.

Overall, Fox High School had about 30 participants. Several Fox students showed up to support us, which was pretty cool. One of my students even decided to participate when she found out that I was!