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Midwesterners with strong hearts, thick skins and questionable judgment sloshed into frigid Zorinsky Lake in the annual Polar Plunge.
Immersing themselves in the bitterly cold water Saturday drew these detailed descriptions from participants in the Special Olympics Nebraska fundraiser:
“Horrible,” said Stacey Daniels, a 27-year-old Omahan.
“Wow,” said Matt Metivier, a Kansan in his sophomore year at Creighton University.
“As soon as I hit the water, it kind of hurt a little bit,” said 28-year-old Carrie Sybert of Omaha.
More than 300 plungers went into the large pool of water that had been carved out of the iced-over lake. They hastened 15 yards to a headless, bikini-clad mannequin, touched her and raced back to shore.
“Once you hit the water and you get out there and you turn around, it looks like you have to swim a mile,” said Joe Stanzel, 22, who wore a huge box around his midsection that said “TDA” (for TD Ameritrade).
Participants raised at least $60,000 through pledges, said Katie Bowser, development director for Special Olympics Nebraska.
They included about 100 Marian High School girls, Iowans dressed as bowling pins, Douglas County corrections officials dressed in orange inmate jumpsuits, bankers in Hawaiian shirts, other bankers in pirate hats, two queens, 25 Creighton Prep boys in football jerseys, Omaha Rollergirls, members of the University of Nebraska Foundation and Omaha Mayor Jim Suttle's staff, and 53-year-old Dixie Trevarthen of Blair, Neb., who splashed in with an Omaha cop.
After several days of icy weather, the plungers lucked out with a sunny morning and 32-degree temperatures.
“This is nothin',” boasted Jane Tinkler, 47, of Tecumseh, Neb. “It's warm out today.”
Some participants held hands going in. Some high-fived coming out. Most then rushed to warm tents and dry clothes.
Minutes after getting out of the lake, Westside High student Kate Wellens still had ice water dripping from her polka-dotted tennis shoes.
Big Bob Peacock, 29, of West Point, Neb., emerged from the water and stood alone with water streaming from his gray T-shirt.
“Where's my clothes?” he said.
Soon, his dad walked up. “Sorry,” Kent Peacock said sheepishly. “Forgot I had your clothes.”
C'mon, Dad.
Contact the writer:
444-1123, rick.ruggles@owh.com
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