Sub-zero temperatures and a brisk wind chill were not enough to prevent a record turnout of jumpers at the third-annual “Polar Plunge” outside La Place Rendez-Vous on New Year’s Day.
Twenty-seven hardy souls doffed their winter duds for a quick dip into Sand Bay and, in so doing, raised nearly $8,100 for the local Voyageurs Lions’ Club.
The money left over after paying expenses will be used to support youth activities in and around Fort Frances.
The list of jumpers ran the gauntlet from eight-year-old Jillian Gustafson of Fort Frances to Mary Hardwood of London, Ont., who jumped with her daughter, Ronnie Joys, and granddaughter, Jessica Behm, of Fort Frances.
“We moved up here from London last summer and never left,” Behm said as she registered for the plunge. “We just love it here.”
Hardwood was here visiting her family over Christmas and will be returning to London shortly. All three women said they found the plunge “exhilarating” and plan to do it again.
They raised a total of $185 in pledges and also earned the grand prize of a gift certificate from La Place Rendez-Vous for the best group costume—taking the plunge in colourful longjohns with the words “Happy,” “New,” and “Year” taped to their backsides.
“It’s a great way to start the new year,” said Hardwood. “You might say we’ve had our own baptism.”
The Three Generations, as they called themselves, seemed quite eager and enthusiastic as they jumped one at a time into the square hole cut through the ice, but that could not be said for all the participants.
Doug Judson, president of the Fort High student executive council, approached the ordeal with about as much enthusiasm as a condemned man walking to the gallows.
But when his time came, he plunged into the frigid water like everybody else.
Judson originally had tried to recruit other members of the S.E.C. to join him in the plunge but when it came time to register, he found himself all alone—albeit with $328 in pledges.
It seems he was the butt of a practical joke.
“I have nothing but contempt for all those people who talked me into this and then bailed,” a straight-faced Judson said minutes before stepping off the ice and into the water.
“But at least they sponsored me,” he added.
Afterwards, Judson was in considerably better humour and admitted he actually enjoyed the ordeal.
“It wasn’t that bad,” he remarked. “It actually feels pretty good . . . refreshing.”
Others shared that assessment. Gustafson—the youngest person to ever take the “plunge”—said after she got over the initial shock, the experience was quite a treat.
“It wasn’t really that bad, but my feet sure got cold,” she remarked.
Others, like Fort High teacher Owen Johnston, found the experience quite stimulating.
“It feels electric,” said Johnston, who raised $210. “It tingles, almost like you’ve just finished a run.”
Perhaps the two bravest jumpers were exchange students Sarah Dhillon of Australia and Natapa Phruthisaranphong from Thailand. Along with Sarah Marusyk, the visitors from the tropics raised $1,000 collectively and took second prize as best group jumpers.
Fort Frances Mayor Dan Onichuk was the fifth person in the water and the only one to do so in street clothes. He raised $100 for his efforts and said he intends to bring more jumpers—and more sponsors—next year.
“I think $2,005 in 2005 is a realistic goal,” he reasoned.
Mayor Onichuk nearly didn’t make it at all since he had been up most of the previous night and had to deal with a death in the family earlier that morning, but nonetheless said he felt his presence was required.
“As a leader in this community, I thought it was important to get out and support something like this,” he stressed. “In fact, next year I want to get the mayors and reeves of the neighbouring communities involved, as well.”
Mayor Onichuk had invited International Falls Mayor Harry Swendsen to jump with him, but the latter was forced to decline because of other commitments.
If Mayor Onichuk’s daughter has anything to say about it, she also will be part of next year’s plunge.
“I’m going to jump with Jillian [Gustafson] next year,” vowed Moreta Onichuk, 11.
Like the others, Mayor Onichuk found the experience “refreshing,” although he said the shock caused a sharp pain around his temples—much like the feeling of gulping an ice-cold drink on a hot day.
The top fundraiser on the day once again was Dale Gill of Fort Frances with pledges totalling $1,669—most of which he collected from his colleagues at North American Lumber here.
The secret to fundraising is persistence, says Gill.
“You have to start early and keep going,” he explained. “Just keep that pledge book with you and bug all your colleagues until they pay you to go away.”
This was the third year for the “plunge” for Gill, who claimed the experience is really quite benign. “It’s not nearly as bad as you might think,” he noted.
He did concede the relatively mild weather was a blessing and wondered what it would have been like had the weather been as it was this week.
“Yes, one of these years we’re really going to get hammered,” he predicted. “But I’ll still go.”
“Polar Plunge” co-organizer Jim Martindale was the only other to bring in more than $1,000 in pledges ($1,165). He said he was pleased with the turnout this year, but has set his sights higher for 2005.
“Yes, it’s getting bigger every year, but I’d like to see 40-50 people next year,” Martindale remarked.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
