DeKALB – When junior psychology major Ellie Papandria first heard about the Polar Plunge being held at Huskie Stadium, she and her friends were immediately intrigued, but skeptical of the concept.
“It was kind of a joke at first,” Papandria said. “We were like ‘who’s going to jump in cold water in the middle of winter?’”
But by Saturday, they were among more than 150 plungers who braved the freezing temperatures at Huskie Stadium as they raised money and awareness for Special Olympics athletes. The event kicked off more than a month of Polar Plunges held across the state.
During the span of 15 minutes, groups of plungers took turns jumping off a platform into an above-ground pool set up on the stadium’s snow-covered field. As each plunger emerged from the pool, the feedback was all the same: the water was, in fact, freezing.
“I knew it was going to be cold, but I didn’t expect it to be that cold,” Papandria said. “The immediate shock, I literally was scared I was going to have hypothermia.”
This year’s Plunge marked the second year it has been held on NIU’s campus. Katie Risley, the director of development for Region A of Special Olympics Illinois, said the combined efforts of volunteers were crucial to putting the event on.
“It takes a lot of people, a lot of committed volunteers and just the support of NIU’s staff to really make it happen, to get all the pieces together,” Risley said. “We were able to do that, but it’s in large thanks to the volunteers who came out today to help check people in, to put the pool up, to drain the pool. There’s a lot of work that goes into it, so it’s a volunteer team effort.”
The 150 participants who jumped this year were nearly double the 88 who took part in the inaugural Plunge last year. Risley credited NIU’s student population for the event’s increased turnout.
“They’ve really embraced the Polar Plunge, and we have a lot of Huskie students who love this event and have spread the word for us,” Risley said.
Plunging began at noon with four members of the Sycamore Police Department – the highest-raising law enforcement team. Some participants even got creative with their attire. One couple wore black shirts reading “I Pee In Pools” and “I Heart Hot Dads,” while another plunger jumped in the pool while dressed in a corn husk costume.
Before the plunging commenced, the organizers presented awards for best costume and team spirit while honoring the event’s top fundraisers. Phi Kappa Psi was given awards for highest fundraising team and team spirit after collecting about $4,200 for the cause, according to the fraternity’s philanthropy head Christopher Shultes.
Shultes, a junior majoring in human development and family science with an emphasis in family social services, said he joined this year’s Plunge for his 16-year-old brother, Aidan Metzl, who is an athlete for Special Olympics. Metzl raised the most funds as an individual for the event.
“I thought it would be a good idea to sponsor him as the person we are Plunging for,” Shultes said. “I kind of led the charge on getting donations and getting this all set up. We thought it was noble to raise money for Special Olympics.”
Shultes said this year’s Plunge felt colder than last year’s, and that he took the fastest way out of the water.
“I took one foot on that ladder and jumped out of the pool. It was too cold,” Shultes said. “But it’s one little plunge for the entire year.”
This year’s fundraising goal was $25,000, however, the totals have yet to be finalized. Risley said the funds collected will go toward supporting the 1,700 individuals with disabilities that compete in Region A, which encompasses the counties of Boone, Bureau, Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle, Putnam, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago.
“We want to grow this thing,” Risley said. “We want it to be more people, more students, more people from the community to come out. And it really takes a couple years to grow, so I’m really happy with the turnout we had today.”
