A whole lot of shivering will be going on at Sandy Point State Park on Saturday, as thousands of could-be hypothermia cases jump into the frigid waters of the Chesapeake Bay for the 14th annual Maryland State Police Polar Bear Plunge.
"Yes, it is a very strange phenomenon," acknowledges Tom Schniedwind, an executive vice president of Maryland Special Olympics and one of those who started the annual ice-encrusted fundraiser. "But it's one of those bucket-list things, where people just want to be able to say, 'Wow, I can do that.' "
Strange, yes. But it's all for a good cause, raising money for the Special Olympics. Since the first plunge in 1997, when 350 people showed up, the event has raised more than $13.2 million. Last year, 11,000 shivering plungers made their way to Sandy Point, just north of the Bay Bridge.
Not only is it all for a great cause, but briefly immersing yourself in cold water - officials won't let anyone stay in longer than 60 seconds - is more exhilarating than excruciating, he insists.
Plungers and their audience will see an event that has grown beyond the ice-induced insanity. The plunge is now just part of a daylong frigid festival, dubbed Plungapalooza, that includes other attractions: live music, a boardwalk-themed festival tent, souvenirs, even a food court.
Even the prospect of a winter storm this weekend, with projections of as much as a foot of snow, isn't daunting anyone. "We're a cold-weather event; we're excited it's going to snow," Schniedwind says. "Six inches of snow would be perfect for us."
Schniedwind says they're prepared for all but the heaviest snowstorm, with trucks at the ready to ensure access to the park and grounds. Anything over 10 inches or so could be a problem, he concedes, but organizers have no magic number in mind. The best he can suggest is to keep tuned to the radio or TV if snow starts falling, or check out the plungemd.com Web site.
As for the plunge itself, anyone thinking, 'That's easy for him to say; why doesn't he get out there and try it?' should know that Schniedwind does, scores of times every year. As part of a die-hard subset of quick-frozen lunatics known as "Super Plungers," he'll be one of 82 men and women out there beginning at 9 a.m. Friday, jumping into the icy water - and making the 100-yard trek back to the warming tent - at least once every hour for 24 hours. Each of the 82 has raised at least $10,000.
Other Super Plungers include former Oriole B.J. Surhoff and Ravens offensive tackle Adam Terry, who's been doing the plunge for three years now.
"I'm very accustomed to the cold weather," says Terry, who grew up near Lake George in upstate New York.
Joining Terry will be Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, back for a second time. Terry laughs at the memory of last year's plunge, when Flacco joined then-teammates Jason Brown and Quinn Sypniewski in the water. The three, he says, were game, but not exactly tough enough.
"They jumped in, and they sprinted back out," Terry says. "It was pretty comical."
Yeah, but at least Flacco is coming back. So is former Gov. Robert Ehrlich Jr., who tells a similar story of the time he had to order his then-lieutenant governor, Michael Steele, to follow him into the water.
"He tried to get out of it," Ehrlich remembers. "But I ordered him. I'm the governor, so I felt comfortable doing that."
Not to be outdone, current Gov. Martin O'Malley also will be plunging, for the third time. He says the best advice he ever got about thriving in the icy water came from former Ravens defensive end Michael McCrary, who told him to wear old tennis shoes and tie the laces really tight.
"If you don't tie them tight," O'Malley says, "the water will get in and your feet will freeze, and you won't be able to walk."
Ehrlich is a serious veteran, a plunger, he says, almost from the beginning. But he doesn't try to convince people how much fun it is to tempt hypothermia.
"It's always an event I have mixed emotions about," says Ehrlich. "It's an incredibly beautiful sight, when you get all of these good people together, having fun, being crazy. On the other hand, it is just not a fun thing to actually do."
That's exactly the sort of thing that worries figure skater Kimmie Meissner. She's been approached to do the plunge before but was always able to beg off, saying she had to practice for coming competitions. This year, sidelined by an injury serious enough to keep her off the ice, but apparently not serious enough to keep her from getting in the ice, she was trapped.
"I always said, 'If I'm here, I will,' " says Meissner, who can't swim. "So here I am. I was planning on layering on heavy clothing, but my dad got online and said the girls were wearing bikinis and bathing suits, so now I don't know."
Schniedwind says that no one is being forced to spend any real time in the water. "You can splash water on your hands and call it a day," he says. And for the record, he notes that in 13 years, there has never been a serious injury.
But for those planning on just dipping their toes in the cold water, consider this: Schniedwind and his 15-year-old son, Brendan, will be plunging not once, and not 24 times, but 250 times over the course of the weekend.
"The reality of the plunge experience invariably is that it is less painful than it sounds," he says in a final burst of reassurance. "It is the expectation of what this might feel like that is the worst part of all."
If you go Registration for the Polar Bear Plunge starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, with plunges at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at Sandy Point State Park, 1100 E. College Parkway, Annapolis. Each participant must raise a minium of $50; free for spectators. Parking is available at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold and Kent Island High School; free shuttles will provide transportation. There will be no general parking at Sandy Point. Call 410-789-6677 or go to plungemd.com.
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