Polar Bear Plunge

By Ettie Berneking

Published Feb. 5, 2008

As a parade of gorillas, bananas, penguins, reindeer, piglets and pirates strolled across the bridge at Stephens Lake, they all had one thing in common. They were about to be very, very cold.

This year, the turnout at Columbia’s first ever Polar Bear Plunge was a sight to see. Even with the sun shining and the snow melting, it was a cold Saturday afternoon. People bundled in puffy winter coats wandered between tents offering hot cocoa, steaming cups of soup, warm hot dogs and bags of chips. Other tents sold t-shirts with the event’s logo plastered on the front.

Each “polar bear” had to raise a minimum of $50 to participate and had to be older than 14. The youngsters at Saturday’s event watched from the shoreline, bundled up in their winter coats and colorful scarves.

The Columbia Police Department hosted the event, which was held in conjunction with the Law Enforcement Torch Run.

Firefighters in bright orange wetsuits waded in Stephens Lake, breaking away at the ice. Now and then a worker threw a sizeable chunk of ice up onto the shore.

The music of Bruce Springsteen and The Dandy Warhols blared from speakers as BXR/102.3 FM disc jockeyed the event.

Among the hundred or so people who came to see the event, participants in the plunge were decked out in the most outlandish costumes. Elvis could be seen mingling with friends and family as a group of bananas lined up for a photo op. As participants sipped hot chocolate in their right hands, they carried bundles of blankets and a change of clothes in their left.

These competitors had signed up earlier to help raise money for Special Olympics Missouri by offering themselves up to the cold murky depths that awaited them in Stephens Lake.

Three women who sported pink sweat suits and pink visors with glued-on pig ears shivered as they looked out onto the ice.

“We were fine till we saw the ice,” said Cari Gibbs, of team Shakin’ Bacon. “It’s intimidating.”

Team Shakin’ Bacon raised more than $300 dollars for the event only to await the plunge that was soon to come.

“They paid $300 to get wet,” Gibbs’ father Dennis Gibbs said with a laugh.

This year’s Polar Bear Plunge kicked off with a costume parade for those participants who had worked to create the craziest costumes. Over the speakers BXR Radio announced that the winner for best costume would receive the “Golden Plunger Award.”

Team Snotcicles, a gaggle of bananas and one very rowdy gorilla, chased one another across the bridge to show off for the judges.

The Snotcicles raised close to $1000, said Rose Scheidt, banana Kendall Scheidt’s mother. Sarah Bylind, who was sporting her banana costume for the first time, raised $520 of her own, Scheidt said.

While the Snotcicles huddled together for photos, laughing and jostling each other, team Ice Ice Baby stood on the legs of the bridge shaking in their over-sized diapers. Mandi Asbury, Samantha Rostemeyer and Jared Henderson of team Ice Ice Baby were all first-time participants in Columbia.

“We’re trying to psych ourselves up,” Henderson laughed. “We’re not nervous cause we’re just jumping into a thing of hot cocoa.”

The costume parade began as Frank Sinatra’s voiced belted out one of his classics from the speakers. Santa and Mrs. Claus were led across the bridge by a reindeer. The Golden Plunger Award went to the Claus couple.

Following close behind was a man dressed only in a big black trash bag and tiny running shorts claiming to be “old white trash.” Other contestants included a large chorus named “the domino effect,” The Hulk flexing his muscles, Mario and Luigi, a group of laughing pirates and a flock of penguins.

Once contestants in the parade had strutted their stuff, they could be seen back with their groups of friends and families wrapped in shrouds of blankets as they listened to Mayor Darwin Hindman open the ceremony.

“I’ve been told that this is the largest turn out for a first time polar bear plunge held in Missouri,” Hindman said.

Participants included more than 200 “crazy plungers” as Hindman called them. One at a time, teams lined up on the shoreline ready to plunge into the ice-cold water. When it was announced that the water temperature was a chilling 30 degrees, yelps came from the crowd.

But soon they were off — running, jumping and diving into the lake. Participants rushed into the water and rushed back out just as quickly. Trucks heated like saunas were provided by Penske Truck Rental for the half-frozen participants. A bubbling hot tub from River Mist Spa stood among the tents where participants flocked in attempts to warm up.

“It was great,” said Cassie Shields, Special Olympics Missouri’s Associate Central Area director. “The water was so cold, but it was a lot of fun. It’s a shock to your system but in a good way.”

All proceeds raised went to more than 1,800 Special Olympic Missouri athletes.

“Here at Special Olympics, they are included in mainstream sports where they find their chance at greatness,” Shields said. “Fundraisers, such as the Polar Bear Plunge, bring in money to help us continue to provide quality experiences for our athletes.”

According to the event’s Web site, the hope for this year’s event was to raise more than $10,000 from at least 100 participants. The final results blew both goals out of the water. A grand total of more than $24,000 was raised with the help of more than 200 participants, Shields said.

“At Special Olympics, our mission is to bring opportunities for physical activity and athletic competition to a group of individuals who normally may not be able to experience them,” Shields said.

Shields participated in Saturday’s events herself, jumping into the freezing cold water in support of the event that she says will become an annual event for Columbia.