The temperature in Albany peaked at 29 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday, but it didn’t stop about 130 people from sprinting into the frozen Lake Snowden.
The seventh annual Polar Plunge, sponsored by the Ohio University Police Department and Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity, raised more than $27,000 for Special Olympics Ohio, which provides sports training and competitions for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, according to its website.
In previous years, the event at OU has raised about $25,000, said Paige Ludwig, marketing and development director at Special Olympics Ohio. Each participant is required to raise at least $50, Ludwig said.
“It’s a really good cause. It ends up being in like the top three fundraisers at OU every year,” said Brett Engelhart, a junior studying health care administration and vice president of OU’s Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity, which helped organize the event.
It wasn’t clear what OU’s other top fundraisers are by press time.
Special Olympics Ohio holds nine Polar Plunges in Ohio and one event in Kentucky each year.
“You are cold for a couple seconds, then you go home and get warm, so it’s not bad,” said Molly Kleman, a senior studying social work who has participated in the plunge each of her four years at OU.
Due to the recent temperatures though, this year’s plunge saw frigid complications when the lake was frozen Friday afternoon, covered with ice eight inches thick. Ice has covered the water in years previous, but it’s never been that thick, Ludwig said.
A chainsaw and backhoe were used Friday to remove the ice from part of the lake to allow for participates space to jump in on Saturday, Ludwig said.
“It was really, really cold,” said Eric Barwacz, a junior studying accounting. “I did it last year and it wasn’t nearly as bad. It was bad this time.”
Emergency medical teams were waiting in the water while people jumped in case of an emergency.
“I think everybody had a good time,” Engelhart said. “It was fun. It was definitely worth it.”
The Polar Plunge at OU is typically held at Lake Snowden, about a 10-minute drive from OU’s campus.
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