The Oshkosh West Index - Chills, thrills test wills for dollar bills

Volume 106, Issue 5

Online Features

Chills, thrills test wills for dollar bills

By Ali Jirschele
posted February 22, 2010

A myriad of go-getters waited patiently through a light snowfall Saturday, February 20 with one quest in mind: to jump into the arctic Lake Winnebago, sheathed in bitter ice. The opportunistic members of society decided to live by the motto "freezin' for a reason" in an attempt to raise as much money as possible for Special Olympics. The O'Neil National Honor Society participated in the tenth anniversary of this frigid fundraiser, encouraging members to take the plunge. The objective was to have each O'Neil participant raise as much money as possible by asking for generous pledges from various acquaintances. O'Neil advisor Sara Dobish believes the plunge is one fundraiser that is substantially dissimilar to most.

"It's a different sort of fundraiser [instead of] just raising money and handing it over," she said.

By participating in this event, the affiliates of O'Neil were awarded with 'points', assisting them in their help for the community, as well as remaining in the club.

"I think that most kids in O'Neil are competitive in nature and that that has carried over into the Polar Plunge event," said Dobish.

Senior Chloe Amato took the responsibility of chairing the event and working through kinks that showed up along the way.

"I spoke at the O'Neil meetings, organized a team online, did my best to encourage people help raise money, coordinated the day and pre-registered," she said. "It really wasn't all that hard. I had a lot of fun with it."

The process was one that made O'Neil members aware of the event. Junior Sam Penzenstadler is one that first gained interest because of the society.

"I heard about it and thought it would be fun," he said. "I wanted to help out with the Special Olympics, too. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm also kind of nervous about it being really cold. But it will be fun and it will be fine. This is my first year doing it."

The sheer idea of the chilly extravaganza motivated plungers, as the intent of the activity was to make a positive difference. Junior and first time participant Allie Knaus noted that the plunge was one that was out of the ordinary, but was well worth the risk.

"I did it for charity and purely for something different," she said. "I usually avoid any way of becoming cold, so it was definitely something different for me to partake in. I most looked forward to getting out and getting dry."

This year, O'Neil members sported themed outfits that modeled the opposite sex, an obscure idea that added humor to the conditions.

"Basically, the dress up theme was that girls dressed as guys, and guys dressed as girls," said Dobish. "Luke Harrison is apparently wearing a bikini; he's got like an American flag Speedo and then he's wearing Chloe's American flag bikini top."

This held true as students showed no fear in expressing true team spirit during the jump. Senior Harrison proudly stated his two aspirations for the event.

"[I would like to] to make some money for a good cause and show off my bikini at the same time," he said.

Junior Connor Schroeder shared a similar take on the plunge, finding an equal love for charity and crazy costuming.

"I wanted to help out the community," he said. "I wore a long black dress with white sequins on the sides and I also wore a butterfly pendant, a pearl necklace, and sunglasses."

Though the apparel helped to bond teammates, the idea of jumping into the icy depths together helped to a great extent as well. Senior Corie Anderson witnessed this strength of this bond firsthand.

"It's easier to put your body's well-being and warmth in jeopardy when you're doing it as a part of a team," she said. "It eases the pain."

The idea of being submerged in the wintry Winnebago shouldn't be under estimated. There were some that easily put their enthusiasm before the crucial matters of their warmth, and there were some who struggled.

"I literally froze once I hit the water," said junior Paige Schultz after exiting the lake. "I could touch the bottom, but the way that the water hit me was excruciating. However, I would definitely do it again."

Knaus shared a similar and somewhat horrifying experience, but didn't let the trauma hit too hard.

"It was way worse than I thought it would be," she said. "I felt like I had no control over my body and I couldn't breathe. The only way I got across [the water] was because a guy pulled me across. I will do it next year, because it's for a good cause and it's only like 10 seconds long, so it's worth it."

Despite this, some of the students simply wouldn't allow the temperature to become stand in the way of their stimulation for the day. Senior Chelsea Siwik wouldn't let the chill-factor bring down her spirits.

"I'm jacked. I love jumping in frozen ponds," she said. "I'll be freezin' for a reason for sure."

Siwik was a veteran this year, as a second time jumper. Those that had jumped before tended to have minor vocal fears compared to the "newbies" in the challenge at hand. Jackie Noffke, though a senior, was a bit intimidated by the freezing temperatures.

"I was nervous, I can't even lie," she said. "It was my first time jumping and I was fearful of that temperature drop, especially since it started snowing."

Most new jumpers were particularly jittery until their jumping time, particularly as they stood on the edge, waiting.

"I didn't know how to prepare my body for what it was about to undergo," said Noffke, "so I let my nerves get the best of me for a little bit. The jump was awesome though."

Despite diminishing fears from a year's worth of experience, some veterans claimed a worse bodily effect this year, as compared to last.

"I felt like this year was a lot worse than last year," said Amato. "I kind of froze. I was dumb and didn't walk across the bottom. [Instead] I swam, so I probably exerted too much effort and I made myself more scared. I crawled up the squad guy's leg. The shock was really bad; I was just like 'get me out!'"

Onlookers enjoyed watching the animation of the many individuals that partook in the festivities. Some even took humor in the sight of the jumpers, particularly when costumed participants took the leap.

"The plunge sounded like something entertaining to attend," said senior Eric Stenson. "People are freezing for a good cause. It's funny, but it makes sense."

Dobish was a bystander who had a clear cut purpose: to support the members that she so ardently encouraged.

"My favorite part is watching the kids jump in," she said. "I will admit I have never done it, but I always go down to watch and take pictures."

The environment surrounding the event was full of lively individuals supporting fellow jumpers, or jumping themselves. The band entitled R.P.M. livened up the jam-packed warming tent by providing satisfyingly loud music to keep everyone feeling upbeat

Raising contribution levels was the principle target of the fundraiser, according to Dobish, and West performed a great feat in winning the local area team challenge.

"The team challenge was for high school students that raised the most money by February 10," she said. "So we had a bus to take us to and from. We also won a free lunch down at Polar Plunge and our pick of the jump time. We also got a $50 gift card from Festival Foods to stock the bus with food."

The team challenge was one that can be attributed to the high involvement and hearty motivation of this year's O'Neil members and an equally openhanded community. In some cases, local businesses supported plungers in matching donation totals.

"So many people were happy to help with the cause," said Amato. "The Gap is my employer and they decided to match however much money I came up with in the end of my pursuit. I came out with 700 dollars after they matched me. They seemed pleased to help me help the Special Olympics. It was just a great process."

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photo by Ali Jirschele

Plungers face the waist-high water in a frantic fury, pushing themselves to the finish line. Many volunteers stood in and surrounding the designated jump area, to ensure secure exits from the frigid lake water.

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