by Marcus Sunde and Kyle Gross
Missouri College Media Award: Honorable Mention, Feature Photography, and Honorable Mention, Photo Page
Swimmers donated a minimum of $75 to Special Olympics. Costumes are part of the annual tradition (Marcus Sunde/The Current).
Longview beach was filled with more than 900 people on Jan. 30. Each person showed up either to jump into a freezing cold lake or to support friends and family members who made the Polar Bear Plunge to raise funds for Special Olympics.
The temperature was 27 degrees Fahrenheit. Some people might jump into the freezing lake just to be able to say, “I jumped!” But for these swimmers, it was about supporting and raising money for special needs people.
“I’m 55 and keep saying next year will be my last,” one swimmer said. “But whenever I see my son’s friend Brett [who has Down's Syndrome] standing on the beach holding our towels, it makes jumping in the freezing water worth it.”
Each swimmer donated a minimum of $75 to participate. By 9:30 a.m., the largest donation given for a single jump was $8,000, according to organizers.
Jumps began at noon. Eighty heats of 15-25 people stood in line waiting for their turn to jump into Longview Lake.
February 14, 2010
News