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| THE PLUNGETTE REPORT |  |
THE PLUNGETTE REPORT
At the 2007 Polar Plunge, I was the Designated Plunger for KC of KC and Ron at Classic Rock 98.3 The Twins. This year KC plunged with me and the other nuts so now I am reporting as The Plungette. It was cold but not as cold as last year and it was not snowing. However, the wind was so strong you could spit and water the flowers behind you. Anything you said was a couple of miles down the road before it slowed down enough to be heard. The flapping sound of nearly a thousand pairs of butt cheeks sounded like a continuous reel of Shamu hitting the water.The cold helped some body parts but negatively impacted others. The differences were divided by gender. Let me just say for myself, my “girls” were perkier than they have been in years. They were so enthusiastic I had to keep pushing them away from my chin. I had no idea gravity warps in freezing temperatures. But for the men, well, the plumbing parts were so desperate for warmth; they crawled into the nearest shelter, a shelter that, shall we say, gets very little sunshine. After emerging from the waters, Ron, of KC and Ron, said he had an “innie.” I don’t think anatomy texts cover this phenomenon but perhaps they should. All 50 states and more than 30 foreign countries now participate in Law Enforcement Torch Run events. In Oregon, more than 1,000 law enforcement personnel from federal, military, state, county, and local agencies participate in the year-round Torch Run campaign. The Polar Plunge held in Bend is the only one in the state and is one of the major fundraisers to benefit Special Olympics Oregon. The money raised has to cover the Summer and Winter Games as well as other Special Olympics events. The Winter Games are held on our own Mt. Bachelor. In The Bend Bulletin report on the games, the prevailing attitude on the mountain was summed up nicely and completely by one of the participants: “When I fell down, I said to myself, ‘I can do this, I can do this,’” said High Desert Special Olympics athlete Andrea Gifford, 19, her voice shaking with excitement and her eyes watery with pride after finishing the 1-kilometer Nordic race. “When I said it, I just knew that I would finish. Even if I fell down, I could still get back up.” Last year over $40,000 was raised by 200 plungers which was double the amount of the stated goal for funds and participants. Pledges were running behind this year and given the precarious state of the nation’s economy, the hope was to maybe match last year’s total. Remember that Bend is a relatively small city. The population for just Bend is around 75,000. Central Oregon has about 150,000 scattered over the area. The preliminary numbers for the 2008 Polar Plunge are astonishing. Over 350 good folks, most of who were in costume, all of whom had more chutzpah than sense, threw themselves into the Deschutes River on purpose. No one was arrested as being a danger to themselves because the officers were leading the charge. Here is a photograph of me and KC exiting the river. I am dressed like Elphaba from Broadway’s Wicked to (1) please my daughter, a huge fan of the show, and (2) to also prove once and for all that witches do not melt in water. http://galleries.cascadeeventphotography.com/p/08_plunges/185326-08polarplunge-db-028538 I’ll post the video once I figure out how to get it out of my daughter’s camera. The real shocker of the evening, though, was the estimate for funds raised as of Plunge Time. Hold onto your hats folks because the 2008 Polar Plunge raised over $96,000. Can you believe it? Thank you so much to everyone who pledged in my name and thank you, also, for the warm wishes expressed by many of you. Big smack of love back at you!
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