Wet Beach? Check. Sandals? Check. Pedicure? Check. Ready to jump in the water? Check. Air temperature 13 degrees? Check….wait….what?? Yes, 13 degrees with wind chill factored in and it was a windy day. Snow and ice still covered most of the lake, but we had a mission. We had a cause, the Special Olympics in Connecticut. When will they start arranging hot tub plunges to raise money? I will be the first to sign up for that one!
Try a Penguin Plunge
But seriously, doing a Penguin Plunge during the winter is not just a rite of passage, it’s an opportunity to raise funds for Special Olympics in Connecticut. And if there was ever a year in which you were going to try it, this crazy, mixed up warm, then cold, then warm again year, is the one. So, in the spirit of encouraging you to try something new, I’ve collected some information on taking part in a Penguin Plunge so that you can take a plunge for a good cause.
- Check with your Doctor first! Especially if you’re older. Hitting the cold water will be a shock to your body, so it’s important to involve your Doctor in this decision.
- Don’t worry about safety, be aware of it, but know you’re in good hands. If you’ve done your part, SOCT takes care of the rest. The events have EMTs, ambulances and even search and rescue teams on site to assist in an emergency. At the event that I participated in on Crystal Lake in Ellington, the rescue team was in the water forming a barrier to keep everyone from going out too far and to be more readily available to assist in an emergency. Big shout out to the Ellington Police Department and the Crystal Lake Fire Department who sponsor the Crystal Lake event.
- Create a Team. Sure you can take the plunge by yourself, but it’s so much more fun to do this with a group of people. I joined with some cousins to form a team and the rest of our family (aka the Chickens) supported us with donations. My husband points out that he was working that day and not chicken….but he still hasn’t done it…just saying.
- Have Fun. You are encouraged to have creative team names and dress in costumes for the event. One of my cousins dressed in a Penguin outfit. I dressed as a cold person.
- Remember that in this day and age, donation collection is a little easier than knocking on doors and asking for support. SOCT will give you a link to your donation page that you can share through social media, send out in emails, etc. It was actually quite easy to hit the $100.00 minimum that each participant needs to get. Our team of 4 people raised over 600.00.
- Too chicken to go in? Many events have a Chicken Coop for the fearful. You can still raise money and from a warm area, cheer on those brave fools who jump into icy water for the cause.
If you’ve never taken the plunge before, I really encourage you to try something new and go jump in a lake! It’s an experience that you can always say you did. And, even if you never want to plunge again, it’s an event that you can continue supporting through your donations, year after year. That’s what I’ll be doing this year, making a donation from the warmth of my living room. Now if I could only find that hot tub event.
(For those of you who’ve been following my Creativity Prompts and find the opening paragraph familiar, it’s what I came up with for Creativity Prompt Four. When I wrote it, I knew I’d be saving it for a post on the Penguin Plunge.)
Great post! My neighbors just participated in a Penguin Plunge for SOCT this past weekend. Couldn’t have asked for better weather for late January in New England!
What a fun way to support some great causes! Don’t think I could ever do this! But I’m happy to cheer you polar bears on!
I’ll be cheering on from the warmth of my house!
It’s been mild, so this idea is not that far fetched for winter!
Go jump in a lake just took on a whole new meaning! I don’t even like to swim when the pool water is under 80 degrees! Not sure I will ever be brave enough to take this plunge, but I would definitely support some who is doing this for such a great cause. Thanks for sharing.
It was a bucket list item, and I don’t ever want to do it again. Like I said, in the post, I’ll gladly do a hot tub plunge!
This sounds strangely fun! Maybe I will do one someday. 🙂
Great post and written for a good cause! I can’t even imagine how cold it is in Connecticut. My (ex-) leisure organization offered Polar Bear Plunges at one of our “cold” pools, here in Northern California. Let’s just say the water was cold. Great fundraiser and way to start the New Year!
Those brave people must repeat to themselves over and over and over “it’s for a good cause…REPEAT” when they are plunging! BBBRRR!!!!
Exactly, and then you hit the cold and everything blanks out of your mind except breathing. After you warm up again, then it’s a feel good moment.
Brrrr. I’m shivering just at the thought. I think I’d be in the cheer-on-and-donate group 🙂 Great idea for the brave-hearts though! Lovely post.