Would I take the plunge' You bet
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I don't expect to be warm again for another few hours, and as I write this after taking the 2015 Ontario Law Enforcement Polar Plunge for Special Olympics Ontario only an hour ago, my fingers are still tingling back to life.
This year, 72 plungers took to the water with more than $34,000 raised. Last year's plunge raised $32,000, and over Kingston's four polar plunges, more than $120,000 has been raised for Special Olympics.
The decision to participate in the early February jump into the Kingston Harbour came from a bet. On my day off, I got a text from my editor: "I think you should participate in the Polar Plunge." The next text came 10 seconds later: "You should do it because I'm betting you will."
KINGSTON — Slightly annoyed by the reminder that I had to go to work the next day, I replied elusively; "Nah, yah, maybe."
No way was I going to tell him, and the rest of the night editors, that I was actually thinking of doing it anyway. I pitched the idea to our editor in chief, who suggested I turn the bet around on the the night editors and make them pay for it.
Well, it worked. And with some generous contributions from the rest of the newsroom, I was on my way to plunge.
How do you prepare for something like this? After graduating from Loyalist College in the spring of 2013, I moved to Winnipeg. Between December 2013 and February 2014, the notoriously cold city didn't reach above -30 C. So cold temperatures I could handle. In the spring of 2014, I moved to Sault Ste. Marie. This past November-December was jam-packed with snowfall. So snow I could handle.
But when you're about to jump into freezing water, the last thing you want to hear is that you may forget to conduct the process that sustains life.
"Now, when you resurface you're going to breathe in quickly, but after that just remember to breathe normally," Sgt. Jody Armstrong of the Kingston Police Force, and one of the organizers of the event, told me as the toe of my sneaker crept over the edge of the wharf.
I looked at him in fright. I'm going to forget to breathe? Forget to provide my brain with oxygen?
Suddenly, I was airborne, making sure I looked for Whig-Standard photographer Julia McKay, who graciously came out to shoot the event for me even though she was battling a cold.
But how would I react jumping into water that was surrounded by snow and in front of more than 300 spectators? With a smile, apparently.
It was hard not to, after such an amazing experience, and the reasons to do it are obvious. First, it's not exactly something you do every day. Second, it's for Special Olympics Ontario.
Growing up, I played every sport. Hockey is my No. 1 love, having played for 20 years and counting. It has gotten me through some difficult times in my life, and has provided me with some of my best friends and memories. Knowing I've helped, even a little bit, to provide those types of opportunities to others is rewarding enough.
The event had a mild damper, with freezing rain, -15 C temperatures, and a brief emergency situation.
A fellow plunger from Trenton couldn't get out the water after jumping.
Armstrong said the man was in the water for about five to 10 minutes before he was rescued by firefighters on scene. "We assisted him out of the water. It was a little more problematic than we thought. He was a larger individual," Armstrong said. "So we strategized, got him onto a KFR safety boat and whizzed him up the ramp, then they whizzed him off to hospital."
Armstrong and fellow organizer Const. Stacey Campbell of the OPP checked on the man at Kingston General Hospital.
"He is being released, and he was in good spirits," Campbell said. "He had a few cuts on his feet that they bandaged up, but he'll be on his way home to Trenton."
Campbell said they'll be debriefing the event in the next couple of days to see what they can do to make it even safer.
"We're already planning for next year," Campbell said. "This isn't going to prevent us from doing the plunge next year. We may think about alternative exit strategies."
With a happy ending, I definitely don't regret my decision to participate in the Polar Plunge. I encourage anyone considering it for 2016, just take a leap of faith and do it.
Twitter,com/StephattheWhig
