Not so cold this time
New Castle News
What a difference a year makes.
In 2015, the Lawrence County Douse for a House Polar Plunge was nearly canceled. Temperatures hovered around 0 degrees at the annual event, which takes place on the shores of Lake Arthur at Moraine State Park. Wind chills dipped into the double-digit negatives, and workers had to cut 12-inch square blocks of ice from the lake just to create a hole for plungers to jump into. A blizzard pelted the site as well.
On Saturday, Feb. 20, 2016, though, plungers were met with a tepid spring swim, with temperatures in the 60s and brilliant sunshine.
Workers still had to clear a thin layer of ice from the lake, and those making the dive did so in water that was in the neighborhood of 30 degrees, “but the entire experience was much more tolerable” said one repeat participant.
Approximately 90 people braved the frigid waters and made the plunge for this year’s event as the muddy shores were lined with spectators.
For the fifth year in a row, the most senior plunger was New Castle resident Tom Walker, who at 81 received a Golden Plunger Trophy for his efforts. Walker said he continues to participate each year to support Habit for Humanity.
“It is such a very good cause, which I believe in and want to help,” he explained. “I’m not good with a hammer and nails, and this is my way of contributing.”
This year’s youngest participant was 6-year-old Cash Pieri, a kindergartner from Butler. Cash made the jump with his dad, Chris Pieri.
“The water was freezing cold and the ice was very slippery,” Cash said, but he and his father vowed they would do it again. Cash said he wanted to help people, and he couldn’t wait until Monday to tell his school friends what he had done.
“I don’t even like water. I can’t even swim,” the youngster said with a shiver.
Devin Watson, 15, was taking his first dive as a member of the Mohawk Plungers team. As he stood shivering, waiting for the chance to hit the water, he said he was already planning on coming back next year, and playfully called out his sister, who declined this year’s event.
Jason Gealy, who is in his third year as chairman of the Polar Plunge for Lawrence County Habitat, took the plunge himself for the first time on Saturday.
“OK, I admit I was afraid,” he said. “But I always had the excuse that I was running the whole event and it was too time consuming. This year, I had a lot of help, so when people asked why I hadn’t done it, I had no excuse. I had to do it.”
Gealy admitted that the experience wasn’t as bad as he expected.
“It was cold, but you get numb so fast you really don’t feel it.”
Helping to warm Gealy up was the success of the event. Although final numbers were not in, he believed the event raised about $20,000 for the local chapter of Habitat for Humanity.
The most senior plunger and his trophy
