When I decided to participate in the 2009 Polar Plunge, I didn't consider how cold the water was going to be. I thought about a lot of other things: helping raise money for Special Olympics felt good; meeting a group of West Virginia bloggers that had organized for the event would be fun; spending a day outside my normal routine would be refreshing.But, I didn't even consider the cold water.
I'm a tough guy. A former farm kid. I've slopped hogs during blizzards, and fed hay to horses during ice storms. I've spent some time in the elements, and the elements didn't kill me. They only made me stronger.
As the line that led to the platform from which plungers plunged into the iced-up water shortened, I heard the MC announce the water temperature to be a near-freezing 34 degrees. I leaned forward and whispered to Bill Lynch, who was standing just in front of me:
"I'm starting to feel a real sense of dread."
"Embrace it," he said.
I laughed, and then I did. And then, a few minutes later, I jumped into the water. Fully submerged, I remember thinking that the cold water hurt more than I expected it would.
And then I thought: "I hope when I surface, I'm not going to cry."
Yeah, I'm a tough guy...
I'll be there in 2010. The event is fun, and the goal is more important than a few moments of discomfort. Plus, it gave me an opportunity to get to know folks I might not meet otherwise. Hanging out for much of the day with a bunch of West Virginia bloggers --who raised about $300.00 for the cause--was really enjoyable.
(And so was the hot shower I took when I arrived home!)
8 comments:
You are The Man! Can't wait for some video :D
And I gotta say, that Facebook/Target Myspace/WalMart blast was awesome!!
Awesome job!
Great Stuff! I hope you saved your tears for when you got home! :-p
I forgot to ask you a question:
Did you shower in the morning? It was a saturday but you were meeting new people but you were jumping into cold water...a complex combination!
I know what you mean, Film Geek. My head start racing a little bit too when I heard Bill tell you to embrace it.
For me the initial jumping in was like "Oh my god." Then getting out I was dazed like somebody had punched me in the face or something. Then, once I got to the towel and shoes, my senses began to return and I thought- well, it's not so bad.
And it was certainly worth the chance to get to meet all my cool bloggin' homeys.
Here's to 2010!
Sometimes it's enough to get to the other side of the pool. Anything more than that is just showing off.
You guys did great. I was pretty proud to do the plunge with you guys... and if the lot of you want to tag along for that other thing I mentioned (details still in progress), you'd be welcome.
It was a pretty special weekend for me, on lots of counts. And if the details of that other thing work out and it's possible for me, I'll tag along.
Jackie, Hoyt, AllClick, Elvis and Bill: It was great fun hanging out with you all, and with MountainLaurel and Ruppie. That everyone invested such time (and cash)let me know I was right about how cool I thought you guys are.
And AllClick: I DID shower before I went. :)
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