‘Polar Plunge’ called best ever

The local community made the latest “Polar Plunge” the most successful ever—with a little help from Mother Nature.
“It was the best ever,” enthused Jim Martindale, one of the organizers and a member of the local Voyageur Lions Club, which stages the event every New Year’s Day on Sand Bay.
“It was just excellent.”
While the final number hasn’t been tallied yet, Martindale said they easily would surpass $19,000—a record for the event.
“$14,000 was the best we’d ever done before,” he noted.
The event hit a new high for jumpers, as well, with 56 brave souls walking out on the ice behind La Place Rendez-Vous on Monday afternoon.
“Everything went well. We’re very, very pleased,” Martindale remarked.
The weather also was a bonus for the jumpers and spectators alike, with sunny skies and little to no wind. The temperature hit a balmy minus-five C.
“[It was] probably the best weather we’ve ever had,” said Martindale, who took the plunge himself again this year. “Jumpers were saying how nice it was that they were able to stand out and watch other people jump afterwards, they weren’t that cold.
“The wind is really, really crucial,” he stressed. “When there’s a wind, it’s always cold.”
The 55-plus participants were largely the reason for the success of this year’s event, Martindale added. “We had really excellent support from jumpers,” he said.
Lorne Gill hit a fundraising record for the event this year, bringing in an astounding $3,522 alone. Martindale himself raised $1,525 while young jumper Jillian Gustafson, who has been participating in the “Polar Plunge” since its inception, raised $1,338.50.
The top group fundraiser was the Fort Frances Aquanauts, whose five jumpers raised $2,500.
The Fort Frances Visserettes and Boys’ Gymnastics club raised about $1,950, the newly-formed Muskie Sports Association’s 11 jumpers brought in $1,800, while the Muskie football team splashed down with $1,200.
“We had really good group participation,” Martindale noted.
The top individual fundraisers received gift certificates from Howarth’s Home Centre and Canadian Tire while the groups jumping get back 50 percent of what they raised for their organization.
Martindale said the practice of giving back 50 percent began a couple of years ago.
“I think that’s increased our participation,” he remarked, adding many of the groups that participate in the “plunge” are youth groups the Voyageur Lions Club already supports.
Prizes for top costumes this year went to Maureen Hahkala, who dressed in traditional Japanese garb, Derek Horton, who was the “Dialysis Drag Queen,” and Lorne Gill, who wore a Canadian and American flag.
The prize for best costumed pair went to Greg Mattson and Shari Humphrey, who dressed as New Year’s revellers from the 1970s.
Best costume prizes were provided by Marks’ Work Wearhouse here.
Some of the money collected was in U.S. funds, so organizers won’t know their final fundraising tally until they exchange it for Canadian currency. But Martindale estimated the final total would be just over $19,500.
Last year’s total was $12,700, with 43 jumpers.
Besides the jumpers and sponsors, La Place Rendez-Vous also has played an important role in the success of the event, Martindale noted.
“They help us out a great deal,” he explained, providing rooms for the jumpers to change in, the banquet hall upstairs for a pre-jump meeting with participants, and chili for jumpers afterwards to warm up.
“Without the Rendez-Vous, it would be really tough to do,” he said. “We’ve just got a perfect location.”
The field of jumpers grows nearly every year, and Martindale said he hopes to see that continue.
“We’re getting more and more kids doing it. They’re enjoying it and coming back,” he noted.
He admitted the idea of jumping into a frozen lake in January probably sounds a little intimidating to most people.
“The first time you do it, it’s a little daunting,” he said. “[But] it happens very, very quickly. What people don’t realize is you’re in and you’re out. It is cold for a short period of time, but it’s very short.
“It really is a neat way to bring in the New Year.”
He also hopes more groups will come out and participate, knowing they will get back 50 percent of their fundraising.
“I think the possibilities for the jump are almost unlimited,” he enthused.
The Voyageur Lions Club will hold an appreciation banquet Feb. 16, “where we will recognize the groups and some of the sponsors,” Martindale continued.
“It’s sort of a wind-up that we started last year. It worked out real well.”
It’s also a chance to hand out prizes and recruit members for the Lions Club, he added.