Leaping into a near-frozen Chesapeake Bay in the middle of January might not seem like everyone's idea of a good time. But Logan Tratnyek can't wait.

Come Saturday, the 31-year-old Annapolis resident will be one of thousands taking part in the 19th annual Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge (plungemd.com), testing the limits of human endurance while raising money for Special Olympics Maryland. A member of the Air Force out of Joint Base Andrews in Prince George's County, he and his 21-member team already have raised over $2,000 for Special Olympics — well over their goal of $1,500.

The only thing left now is to get ready for some bone-chilling cold on Saturday.

How many times have you done the plunge?

This will be my second time signing up for the plunge. Hopefully, it doesn't get canceled this year. I signed up last year, but due to the weather conditions, they had to cancel it.

You sound like a relatively sane person. What convinces you to dunk yourself into the Chesapeake Bay in January?

I like personal challenges, and it's for a very good cause. I have a lot of friends who are in situations where their kids participate in Special Olympics, so it's something that's a little near and dear to my heart. And anything I can do to embarrass myself to raise funds for charity … I'm willing to go out there and try.

Have you gotten any advice on how to prepare yourself for the day?

Yes. A lot of people have told me to drink a lot of warm fluids and pack a lot of polar fleece, for when it's over.

Are you prepared to be severely cold when it's done?

Yes. I did a lot of standing outside. I enjoy the winters, so it's not as bad as other people. And to further it, I'm actually shaving my head the day before the plunge, to make sure I get the full effect.

I'm very good at not showing that I'm cold to other people. While my legs might be frozen in the water, I'm not going to let other people know that.

I would definitely say it's one of the harder personal challenges I've undertaken. But I'm kind of one of those extreme sports people — rock climbing, scuba diving, skydiving.

Last year, when you had signed up and ended up not doing it, how disappointing was that?

It was very disappointing. But I was glad to know that I was still able to contribute those funds to Maryland Special Olympics. I actually had a friend pour cold water on me outside my house on one of the colder days, so that they got their money's worth.