8th Annual "Polar Bear Plunge"

So on the first Saturday of December, over 150 people gathered at the boat dock at Bald Eagle State Park to plunge themselves into a lake for the YMCA of Centre County's 8th Annual "Polar Bear Plunge". And of course the State College Young Professionals brought our magic (or insanity).

The air was 29 degrees and the water was 36 this year. Brrrrr!

I was shaking people down for donations all month long, even "renting" out body parts to local businesses. Heck yeah! All that so I could go in as a Super Plunger -- plunging 3 times!

And I definitely went in for my three plunges -- going in twice with the Super Plungers and then once with the Young Pros. The first two times weren't too bad. That third time was a doozie cuz I had a few minutes to get semi-dry and warm before our plunge. When I went in for that third plunge, I think my muscles seized. My one partner pretty much had to drag me out of the water cuz my legs did not want to move. And then as my spotter tried to dry me off and get me warm, anything that touched my skin felt like knives. Ouch. (can you see the pain in my eyes? and that's just after the first two plunges)

It was all totally worth it. I now have bragging rights cuz I not only went into that water, I went in THREE times!

Plus, my awesome donors helped me hit and exceed my mark with $765 in donations! They also helped the Young Pros win the award for "Most Money Raised by a Group/Organization" with just over $3,200 raised! Woo hoo! Definitely not bad for only our second time participating. :-)

I'm so excited for next year's plunge!