More than $10,400 was raised for the event, which took place at Lake Snowden and benefitted the Special Olympics.
Greg Dinger emerged from the icy waters of Lake Snowden triumphant. Clad head to toe in the colors of the American flag, he’d just taken a running dive across the snow-covered beach and into the half-frozen lake, his fraternity brothers at his side.
Dinger, a junior studying sociology, isn’t crazy and his actions weren't merely fraternity antics. Dinger and his companions were, as the signs adorning the campground put it, “freezin’ for a reason.”
The Ohio University Psi chapter of the fraternity Phi Kappa Theta hosted its ninth annual "Polar Plunge" on Saturday, an event held throughout the nation in support of the Special Olympics. The 2016 plunge took place at Lake Snowden in Albany, a 15-minute drive from the Athens campus. A free shuttle was provided to transport students to and from Baker Center.
Participants were required to raise a minimum of $50 in pledges by the day of the event and were able to register either individually or as a team. In total, the fundraiser raised $16,000.
Special Olympics, the world’s largest sports organization for adults and children with intellectual disabilities, does not receive state funding, and often relies on fundraising events such as the Polar Plunge to carry out its mission “to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports” for the disabled, according to the organization's website.
Social fraternities and sororities weren’t the only organizations present for the event. Caden Brooker and Nicole Sova were among members of Tau Beta Pi, an engineering honor society that made the plunge as a team.
For Brooker, a junior studying civil engineering, the cause itself was personal and reason enough to brave the cold.
“I’m here to support my cousin, Morgan Wallace, who competes in Special Olympics every year,” Brooker said prior to his jump. “It’s my first time jumping. ... I’m kind of scared, but we’ll see what happens.”
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With Saturday afternoon temperatures topping out at a hardy 17 degrees, much of Lake Snowden had frozen over, requiring crews to melt away sections of the ice so the event could take place.
Due to the frigid conditions, there was no shortage of safety personnel present on the lakeshore. Albany Fire Chief Warren Keirns said that he and his team were there merely as a precaution, but were prepared to handle any emergency that may arise as a result of the cold.
“The shock of the cold water hitting a warm body can send people into shock, which can cause hypothermia,” Keirns said. “We’re here just in case. … Not too many of them stay out very long once they get into the water.”
Last year, the Polar Plunge raised more than $20,000, which is about double the amount raised during this year’s campaign.
Shivering and wrapped in a towel on the snow-covered shore following his jump, Dinger remained optimistic about supporting Special Olympics.
“I love doing this every year. It’s worth it,” Dinger said. “It’s so, so worth it.”
@lauren__fisher
