Swimsuits and Snowflakes
About 150 people plunged through a hole in the ice covering Hyrum Reservoir Saturday morning while dozens of emergency rescue workers and law enforcement officers stood by laughing.
Rather than getting angry, however, the soaking people joined in the laughing, at least as soon as they got their breath back and dried off. They were participating in the annual Polar Plunge and helped raise about $7,000 to benefit the Utah Special Olympics.
Participants raised money by seeking pledges and donations from friends and family, ventured into the 17-degree weather and jumped in while about a hundred spectators watched and cheered.
“It’s always colder than you expect,” said Cameron Robb, who participated last year as well as Saturday. “It was just as bad as I remembered it from last time.”
In one notable way, however, this year was quite different from last year for Robb. He and Danell Heagren were married in a ceremony performed there on the ice just moments before jumping in, dressed in a suit and wedding dress.
Robb volunteers as an assistant coach for the Special Olympics, and Heagren is also involved in the program. They are from Salt Lake City but decided to come to Hyrum for the wedding because Heagren had already taken part in previous Polar Plunges in each of the other three Utah locations where the event takes place.
Some jumpers went alone while others jumped as groups of friends or family. Some wore costumes, and others wore very little clothing at all. Several students from USU participated as well as a large number from area high schools.
Several awards were given, including awards for the youngest jumper, 7, and the oldest jumper, 55. An award for most money raised went to Leticia Richards, a 15-year-old Mountain Crest High School sophomore from Providence. Richards sought donations by contacting friends and family, sending e-mails, creating a Web site and going door to door. Within three days she had raised $1,282.
“It was cold, but I was expecting it to be a lot colder,” Richards said. “Once you jump in, everything goes so fast, you don’t really even pay attention.”
Volunteers from the Cache County Sheriff’s Office began cutting the hole in the 12-inch-thick ice Friday night, and the job took four to six hours to complete, said Willie Duersch, who announced the event. When it was over, they put the ice slabs back into the hole to allow it to freeze over again more quickly and prevent anyone from falling in by accident. Law enforcement and emergency personnel were on hand in case anyone needed medical attention and also because some were participating.
This was the second Polar Plunge held at Hyrum Reservoir. All money raised benefits Special Olympics, which provides sports training and opportunities for people with disabilities.
-dfelix@cc.usu.edu