Polar plunge 2012
by Chad Ullom
Brianna, Tasha, and Chad at the Polar Plunge in Topeka, Kansas.
My daughter Brianna, girlfriend Tasha and I participated in the Polar plunge this year to benefit Special Olympics. Tasha was a real trooper. She pinky swore Bree last year that she would do it with us this, but the closer it got she was really having second thoughts! Bree and I did it last year and I was expecting this year to be a bit easier to be honest. Last year, they had to chain saw a 30X30 foot section of ice out of the lake so we could jump in! It was thick enough that the rescue crew sat on the edge of the ice. With the milder winter we’ve had this year, there really wasn’t much ice except in shallow areas. It was colder on the day of the plunge than it was last year and it was a bit windier. We ran in and I went under like I did last year and it really took my breath away! As we ran around high fiving the rescue crew, my legs were burning! I could hear Bree behind me and it sounded like she was having the same issues! We made it through the water and headed right for the tent to put on some warm clothes!
This really is a fun event. People go in teams and there is a costume contest. We went as the wolf pack this year, but honestly didn’t put a lot into it. Bree had a baby in a backpack we turned into a baby bjorn, Tasha had a tiger and I carried a “satchel”. The best team by far in my opinion was the toy story group. They put a lot of thought and time into their costumes and looked great! Before the plunge they do a 5k “strut”. Bree and I ran it last year and she beat me. She’s been talking trash, so I was really going to try this year. I can’t say I really trained for it, but I thought I could just out run her. I pushed the pace this year, but she was able to keep up . I really kicked in on the last downhill thinking I would put some distance between us. It didn’t work, and she outlasted me to the finish. The polar plunge is a great event and we’ve had a great time the past 2 years. We look forward to doing it again next year and Tasha said she would do it again with us! I’m proud to say that we raised over $400 for the cause! I highly recommend the plunge, it is invigorating!